Maybe Love
by McDiggin'It
Summary: Morgana and Merlin have never been friends. They've never liked each other... in fact, they hate each other. But the death of their best friends and the responsibility of godparents will force them to live together. Can they spend a whole day together without murdering each other? Read to find out!
1. Maybe Together

Title: Maybe Love

A/N: This fic won't be my main focus, as I'll be working more towards finishing my other fics first. However, this will be one that I'll update in between the other stories I have going on. It won't be consistent, but I will try to wrap up each chapter so that there won't be any huge and frustrating cliffhangers. Anyways, R&R!

-McDiggin'It

...

Summary: Morgana and Merlin have never been friends. They've never liked each other... in fact, they hate each other. But the death of their best friends and the responsibility of godparents will force them to live together. Can they spend a whole day together without murdering each other? Read to find out!

...

Chapter One: Maybe Together

...

There's seriously something wrong with the air. Why else would his lungs feel like they're about to fall out of his chest? The young man gasps as he stops running and makes a face as he grasps desperately at the stitch in his side.

"Come on, Merlin. We're not even halfway there." Arthur says as he jogs in place and grabs his best friends arm. "Morgana and Gwen are not far behind us."

Merlin swallows hard and glares at his best friend. "Remind me again why I'm here this early, running with you, Gwen, and the wicked witch of the west?"

Arthur chuckles as he shakes his head. "Because I'm your best friend and you're here to support me."

Merlin rolls his eyes and sighs heavily before starting up a jog again beside Arthur. "Right, well I think we should minimize our friendship activities to a range from 10am to 8:30pm. This early morning jogging is not really my thing." He half jokes.

Arthur slows to a stop as they come to the halfway mark on their trail. "Absolutely not. Gwen needs Morgana for moral support, and I can't be alone with them because they like to talk about things that bore me to death..." he wrinkles his nose. "...like hearth rugs and scented candles."

Merlin makes a face of disgust. "I used to envy you when we were younger. Can't say I still feel the same way."

Arthur looks at Merlin, surprised. "You envied me?"

Merlin nods and lets out a laugh. "Oh yeah. _Big_ time. You remember in 3rd grade when we had that school field trip to the M&M factory?"

Arthur blinks confusedly. "No. What M&M factory? And I didn't know you until the 7th grade."

Merlin pauses and looks deep in thought. "Huh... that might've been Gwaine."

Arthur rolls his eyes at Merlin. "So you never envied me, but you envied Gwaine?"

Merlin nods his head up and down as he frowns. "He got to go home with two bags of M&M's that day because I wasn't in school and he took mine and ate it!"

Arthur gapes at his best friend in wonder. Merlin really is the simplest person on the planet. The man doesn't have a single jealous bone in his body. "You're telling me you envied Gwaine because he ate your bag of M&M's?"

"M&M's are my favorite candy!" Merlin says defensively. "Besides, I was looking forward to that field trip."

"Why didn't you go?"

Merlin shrugs and looks away towards the trail where Gwen and Morgana are emerging. "I didn't have a parent to sign my permission form."

Arthur doesn't say anything to that. He knows about Merlin's parents dying in a car accident when he was only 5 years old. He can't imagine what that's like, growing up without a family. Merlin had gone through some really tough times, and yet he's probably the nicest person he knows... besides Gwen.

"This doesn't count." Morgana pants as she and Gwen come to a stop behind them.

Gwen nods in agreement. "Yeah. You guys have longer legs than us."

Merlin scoffs. "How is that our fault?"

"Because _everything_ is _your_ fault." Morgana tells him menacingly, to which Merlin flips her the bird.

"You guys still lose." Merlin sticks his tongue out at the girls.

Morgana glares at him. "I just said it doesn't count! You guys sprinted as soon as we started!"

"You did too!"

Morgana glares even harder. Gwen and Arthur just watch them with amusement.

Merlin rolls his eyes at Morgana. "Whatever. We got here long before you two did, took a nap, learned another language, and had a conversation about M&M's. Speaking of which, you two lost, so you both owe me waffles with M&M's on top."

"I don't owe you shit!" Morgana spat.

"Okay!" Gwen jumps between the two and puts her hands up in front of them. "We lost," She tells Morgana, silently pleading for her to drop it. She then looks at Merlin and smiles. "I'll make you waffles with all the M&M's you want, okay?"

Merlin smiles triumphantly and nods. "Thanks, Gwen... for not being a sore loser like someone I won't name." He then looks pointedly at Morgana and smirks. She flips him off and rolls her eyes at him.

Arthur sighs and throws his arm over his wife's shoulder. "Ready to head back?"

Gwen smiles at him as she wraps her arm around his waist. "Yes, please. Before Merlin and Morgana start strangling each other."

Arthur snorts. "They're just unwilling to admit that they care about each other."

"We do not!" Morgana and Merlin shout simultaneously.

"I wouldn't care about you if you were the last man on earth!" Morgana yells at the dark haired man.

"And I wouldn't kiss you with a ten foot pole if you were the last woman alive!"

"It's touch!" Morgana screams angrily.

"What?!"

"The expression is touch with a ten foot pole! Not kiss!"

Merlin stops and blinks at her as he thinks about it for a second. Realizing she's right, he shrugs at her. "Right... well— I wouldn't do that too."

Arthur laughs as Gwen sighs heavily. It's really a miracle their friends haven't killed each other yet.

...

It's early in the morning when Merlin receives the phone call. He's half asleep when he answers, sitting up and groaning into the receiver. "What do you want?"

"Merlin…"

Merlin's eyes snap open as he pulls his phone away and looks at the name on the phone. As he suspected, _Evil Witch _is what pops up.

"Morgana?" He asks as he puts the phone back up to his ear. "Why are you calling me?" He looks at his alarm clock and nods. It's 3a.m. "Oh right. It's the devil's hour."

"Merlin!" Morgana snaps at him over the phone.

"Morgana!" Merlin snaps back mockingly.

"I— I'm at the hospital."

Merlin scratches his head as he gets up out of bed and walks towards the bathroom. He suddenly wants to pee. "Are you pregnant?"

"Wha— no!"

"Have you finally contracted an STD from your latest conquest?"

"Fuck you, Merlin!" Morgana spat angrily. "I'm not here for me! It's…" she trails off as her voice tapers down to a small whisper. "It's Gwen and Arthur."

Merlin frowns as he turns on the light in his bathroom. "What about them?" he asks, finally being serious. Something about Morgana's tone makes him feel uneasy.

Morgana doesn't say anything for a long time, choking on a sob she's so desperately trying to suppress. "They were in an accident."

It's then that Merlin's sense of hearing fades out, and a loud ringing fades in. The only thing he can hear is his own breathing, growing louder and louder as his heart sinks.

"Merlin?"

… nothing.

"Merlin?"

… absolutely nothing.

"Merlin!" Morgana shouts over the phone for the third time.

Merlin finally snaps back to reality as he stares at his own reflection in the mirror. Somewhere along the line, he'd been thrown right back to when he was five years old and his babysitter was waking him up to go to the hospital. He'd been confused and sleepy as his babysitter carried him to the car and drove him down to the hospital. He'd then been approached by a woman in a business attire, and she'd told him that his parents were badly injured in an accident. "I— I'm— I'm here." Merlin finally stammers into the phone.

Morgana sighs shakily. "They didn't— they didn't make it." not a moment later, she lets out a soft sob, which she tries to hide by pressing her hand over her mouth.

Merlin's eyes sting with tears as he asks, "What hospital?"

Morgana gives him the name and location, punctuating nearly every word with a sniffle.

Merlin nods slowly. "I'll be there soon."

…

When he arrives at the hospital, he has trouble trying to find the Emergency room. When he finally finds it, he stands outside for a few long minutes, trying to will his hands not to shake. The whole drive there, he'd tried desperately not to cry, but it was impossible. Tears had come and gone, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking as he gripped the wheel tightly.

He finally manages to take a step towards the door and pull it open, stepping inside as he takes a deep, but shaky breath. He almost immediately sees Morgana, sitting on the floor in a corner. There are two other people in the room and plenty of empty seats, but Morgana chooses the floor. He goes to her, instantly forgetting about how much he loathes her.

He stops a few feet away and stares at her, noticing her face in her hands as her shoulders shake lightly. His heart sinks even further at the sight. He'd known her for over ten years now, and he'd never ever seen her cry. She had always been independent, stubborn, arrogant, and admittedly, tough. But tonight, she truly looked anything but those. He walks over to her, stopping right in front of her, the tips of his shoes almost touching the tips of hers.

Merlin stoops down, pausing for a moment before finally raising a hand and touching her shoulder gently. Morgana gasps, raising her head as if surprised by the interruption. Her eyes are red and raw from crying, her hair is all over the place, and her usually flawless makeup is absent. She takes only a few seconds to take in the unshed tears shining in Merlin's eyes before she throws herself forward into his chest and sobs uncontrollably into his white shirt.

Merlin doesn't even think about the hate they'd always had for each other. Right now, she needs him, and maybe he needs her too. He wraps his arms around her body, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

They stay that way for what seems like forever, until a Resident Doctor comes out and asks to have a word with them. The young man and woman nod and follows the Doctor to a backroom, where they continue to explain what had happened during the accident, and what caused it.

Turns out, Arthur and Gwen were out on a date last night, and were on their way home when a drunk driver ran a red light and hit them from the side. Gwen and Arthur both suffered major injuries, and almost immediately lost their lives.

"They've been cleaned and taken down to the coroners office if you both wish to go and see their bodies." the Doctor says sympathetically.

Merlin nods as Morgana turns away and places a hand over her mouth. She doesn't say a word as she suddenly leaves the room and runs to the nearest restroom. Merlin suspects she's feeling sick because he feels sick too. He thanks the doctor before following Morgana to the restroom. He waits outside for nearly 15 minutes before he begins to worry. Looking around, he makes sure that no one is any rush to use the restroom before he quietly slips inside to go check on Morgana.

He immediately hears her, throwing up in one of the stalls. He makes his way over, finding the last stall's door, open, with Morgana kneeling on the floor, throwing up her guts into the toilet. He never thought it would ever happen, but he actually really feels horrible for her… and for himself.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, he shakes his head to himself. He's not sure he's entirely accepted the fact that his friends are really gone… forever. Or maybe he's just better equipped for death of loved ones. He'd lost his parents when he was really young, but he'd felt the loss of them. He'd dealt with the grief and loneliness. He didn't have anyone to console him, except a bunch of strangers who only did so because it was a part of their job.

Today, despite the bad blood between Morgana and himself, he won't let her go through what he did when he was but a child. He won't let her suffer alone, or with strangers. So he goes to her, shushing softly, comfortingly, as he reaches down and pulls her hair back from her face.

Morgana throws up two more times before she finally sits back and leans against the stall. Merlin slides down and sits across from her. They say nothing, do nothing, as they simply stare at each other with tears running down their faces. Today, they mourn the death of their best friends. Today, they are not enemies. Today, they will find comfort with each other. Tomorrow, they can go back to reality… but today, they'll wallow in misery, regret, pain, and suffering; and they'll do it together.

…

A/N: I really hope this chapter was good for you all. I tried to make it as realistically emotional as possible without going overboard with the cheesiness. Also, I want to apologize sincerely for killing off Arthur and Gwen on the first chapter. I love and adore them, but the plot is simply for the development of Merlin and Morgana. Also, the first part of the chapter is like a sort of feeler for the kind of relationship that Morgana and Merlin has. Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter. This is a fic that I plan to write many many chapters of. It won't have a serious, meaningful plot. It's just going to be lots of Mergana moments that will be good, bad, happy, sad, frustrating, and as realistic as I can write them. I just wanted a fic that I can always add to, as opposed to posting random one-shots that could easily be related. So, many thanks for reading! Please review!

-McDiggin'It


	2. Maybe Parents

Title: Maybe Love

...

Chapter Two: Maybe Parents

...

Merlin takes the week off of work, running around town, making arrangements for Arthur and Gwen's funeral. Arthur and Gwen had both voiced before, their wishes to be cremated when they die. Merlin couldn't help thinking, that he never imagined it would happen this soon. He and Morgana agreed that their friends will be cremated, like they wanted. It's probably the first time they've ever agreed on anything.

In Arthur and Gwen's shared last will and testament, they left everything they owned to their 2 year old daughter, Igraine. Everything, but their house. The 2-story suburban house, which was already paid off, is left to both Merlin and Morgana, with the specification that they both live in it. They are not allowed to sell it, but rather, pass it down to their children.

That part of the will got a few eyebrow raises from Morgana and Merlin. However, they didn't say anything. The final part, was more of a request in two parts. Firstly, a request that their ashes be scattered at the top of Rikers Peak, where they met. A task which Merlin and Morgana agreed to carry out. And secondly, a letter, addressed to both Merlin and Morgana, with the instructions that they read it aloud in front of the attorney.

_Our Dearest Friends- Merlin and Morgana,_

_If you're reading this, then Gwen and I are no longer there. Last year, after the birth of our daughter, Igraine, we agreed that we would write out our final will and testament. We wanted to be sure that everything was taken care of in case something suddenly happened to us. This year, we renewed this letter, as Igraine will be two. We hope to continue to renew this for many years to come, but the future is not guaranteed for any of us. We had hoped that we would live to watch her grow up, have her first day of school, ride a bike for the first time, lose her first baby tooth, and so many other firsts. But, the fact that you're reading this means that we won't be able to see any of that. _

_We know you don't see eye to eye, but for the sake of our daughter, we hope that you both can put your differences aside. This letter is a formal written plea for the both of you to take on the responsibility of taking care of our little girl for us. You are the only people we trust, to love our daughter as much as we do. We would never ask this of you if there were any other choice. The foster system is not something we wish for Igraine to be forced into. So we ask you, from the bottom of our hearts to take her as your own, keep her safe, and love her the way we know you always have. We will never get to watch her grow up, go to prom, fall in love, get married, and someday have a little girl or boy as beautiful and special as her. But we both hope that you will be the ones to do that for us. You are our family— her family, and we hope you will continue to be her family for the rest of her life. This is our last, and final wish._

_All our love, _

_Arthur and Gwen Pendragon_

To say they were speechless is an understatement. The responsibilities of a parent are great. It's something that isn't taken lightly. It's something that neither of them are prepared for, or even expected. It's something that they never thought they'd have to be, at least not anytime soon. But... as soon as they'd read Arthur and Gwen's letter, they knew immediately that they would agree to it. They would never let Igraine become an orphan or foster child. Igraine is _their_ responsibility now, and no one else's.

For all of Igraine's life, they'd always been Aunty Morgana and Uncle Merlin. But today, they would agree to be her parents.

When they leave the attorneys office after signing a ton of documents, Merlin and Morgana walk silently, side-by-side towards their own cars. It's isn't until they're standing at the edge of the lot that Morgana finally turns and looks expectantly at Merlin.

"How are we going to do this?" She asks, unsure of her question.

Merlin looks at her and shrugs. "Do what?"

Morgana sighs and tries her best not to glare at him. He'd almost been kind to her at the hospital last week. "We just signed adoption papers, Merlin... nothing is in the way of finalizing it, so as of today, we're her parents. I mean they're dropping her off _tomorrow night_."

Merlin stares at her as he sighs softly to himself. "I don't know." He says honestly. "I mean— the house— _their_ house has been left to us. We could— we could take turns living there with her."

Morgana blinks at the man in utter disbelief. "What, like babysitters?!" She asks incredulously.

"What do you want me to say?!" Merlin snaps at her. "I don't know what to do, Morgana! _You're_ the woman!"

Morgana forgets about trying not to glare, and glares. "I'm the _woman_? Really Merlin? You think because I'm a woman that I have all the answers?!" She yells at him furiously. How much of an ass could he be?!

"Well _I_ certainly don't have them!" Merlin deadpans.

Morgana inhales deeply, trying to calm herself before she launches at Merlin and yanks his hair out of his scalp. Of all the people in the world for Gwen and Arthur to choose as Igraine's godfather, they choose the one person on the planet that she absolutely can't stand. The one person in the world who she loathes with every fiber of her being. From the moment they met, she knew she hated him. Now she has to take care of a baby with him?!

Merlin rolls his eyes and scrubs a hand down the side of his face. "Look, I don't like you anymore than you don't like me. But if we're going to be Igraine's parents, we have to do it right..." he looks down, crestfallen. "... we owe it to Arthur and Gwen."

Morgana sighs as she nods. "Fine... then we'll talk about it tonight at their house."

Merlin nods as he holds up the house keys. "I'll go there first to pack up some of their things. I'll give you your key when you get there."

Morgana nods as she checks her phone. "I'll be there around 5:30."

They go their separate ways, grateful to have a few hours away from each other.

...

At 5:48, the doorbell rings and Merlin jumps, hitting his head on the bottom of the table he'd been under, trying to pick up some of Igraine's toys. He groans as he gets to his feet and rubs his head in annoyance.

He opens the door to find Morgana standing there with her purse and a takeout bag.

He doesn't say anything as he leaves the door open and goes back into the kitchen. She follows, dropping the takeout bag onto the kitchen counter. "I didn't know if you ate already, so I got you an order of Mongolian beef." She says absently.

Merlin quirks an eyebrow at her. "I'm pescatarian."

Morgana huffs. Not even one minute in the house with him and he's already annoying. "So you only eat fish?" She asks, even though she doesn't really care about his answer.

Merlin scoffs at her, having never heard anyone ask that about pescatarians. "I don't _only_ eat fish. I can eat other things too. I just don't eat meat that isn't fish."

"That's what I meant." Morgana rolls her eyes at him as she gets down a plate from one of the cabinets.

"Well your question was worded wrong." Merlin says defensively.

"Jesus, I'm sorry for trying to do something nice! If you don't eat beef, then just don't eat the bloody beef!" She snaps at him. "I don't know why we're even arguing about this, we have more important matters to discuss!"

Merlin stares at her for a second before walking to the cabinet, grabbing two wineglasses, a corkscrew, and a bottle of red wine, before making his way to the table and sitting down at the head of it. Morgana takes her takeout food with her and sits on the other end, facing him, but farthest away from him. She takes her time, transferring her food from the takeout box to the plate, before beginning to eat.

As Merlin pours the wine, she watches him quietly, taking note of how his hair seems to defy gravity and sticks out instead of just flopping down over his forehead. He gets up and silently places one of the wineglasses beside her plate before going back to his seat.

"It's a Benovia 2015 Grenache." He says quietly. "Arthur got it last month from his trip to California."

Morgana stares down at the wineglass. They haven't really talked about Gwen and Arthur outside of wills, cremation arrangements, Igraine, and funeral ceremonies and receptions. They haven't really talked about anything at all. That day at the hospital, they'd simply just silently cried as they stared at each other until a nurse came in and screamed when she saw Merlin there on the floor of the ladies restroom.

Tonight, she thinks they won't have a choice but to talk about what happened, and what they're going to do from here on out.

She tries breaking the ice by asking, "Do you know a lot about wines?"

Merlin shakes his head as he takes a sip from his wineglass and makes a face. "Just that I don't like them very much."

Morgana frowns at him. "Then why are you drinking it?"

Merlin shrugs at her. "There's no beer in the fridge."

Morgana raises an eyebrow at him. "And water just wasn't a choice?"

Merlin sighs as he leans back. "Water was not made for the conversation we're about to have."

Right. Morgana returns to staring at her wineglass. She's suddenly not hungry anymore. Just the mention of the conversation they're about to have takes her appetite away. She pushes the plate away, downs her entire glass of wine, and then looks expectantly at Merlin. "What should we talk about first?"

Merlin suddenly gets up, takes the bottle of wine and his glass, walks over to her, pulls out the chair adjacent to hers, and plops down in it. "Grief." He knocks back the rest of his wine before pouring Morgana another glass. "We should talk about grief."

...

As Merlin opens another bottle of wine, Morgana continues talking about the time when she and Gwen were stuck in a hotel elevator for two hours and discussed which body part they would eat first if they had to resort to cannibalism to survive.

"We both decided on thighs."

Merlin snorts as he pours the Cabernet into Morgana's proffered empty glass. "I would go for toes first."

Morgana makes a disgusted face. "Eww. Toes would be bitter from the sweat and dirt under our feet!"

Merlin laughs. "As opposed to the clean and sweet thighs?"

Morgana raises her glass towards him as she laughs. "Touché."

Merlin sighs and sips his wine. "I'm glad we talked about Arthur and Gwen... I feel like we've managed to at least accept that they're gone."

Morgana nods as she takes a drink from her own glass. "Yeah... despite the fact that I didn't want to accept it, I knew that we had to... for Igraine."

Merlin nods in agreement as he looks at Morgana with a serious expression. "That little girl deserves the world..." he shakes his head. "Arthur and Gwen would've given her the world."

Morgana smiles as tears form in her eyes. "And that's what we're going to give her. No matter how hard it gets, and I know for a fact that you'll contribute _heavily_ to the hardships," She jokes, and Merlin laughs. She sighs and continues. "... we have to promise that we will love and protect her the way Arthur and Gwen would. She'll grow up knowing that she was, is, and always will be loved."

Merlin smiles as well as he raises his glass towards Morgana. She raises her own glass and clinks it gently against his. "To Arthur and Gwen." Merlin says softly.

"To Arthur and Gwen." Morgana repeats.

It's the first time they've ever really been civil towards one another, besides the time when they agreed to have their friends cremated. It's a small thing, and they're probably only like this because of the alcohol in their system, but they both silently think it's a good start.

...

The next day finds Merlin passed out on the floor with Morgana passed out just a foot away from him on the couch.

Merlin groans softly as he turns his head slowly, mindful of the pain in his stiff neck. "Fuck." He mumbles against the carpet as he blinks his eyes open. He first notices a hand in his face, then notices that it isn't his hand. His eyes follows the hand to its owner, sleeping like the dead on the leather couch.

He blinks as he pushes himself up into a sitting position and watches her face for a moment. He notices the state of her hair, disheveled and messy. He notices her lipstick, now smeared halfway across her cheek. He notices the way her eyelashes flutter as she snores softly. She's beautiful, he thinks for only a moment, before quickly banishing the thought. He has long since forgotten about any attraction he may have had towards her in the past.

Looking around, he tries to remember how they got into the living room from the kitchen. After several minutes of mentally retracing the last steps he remembers before passing out, he finally remembers carrying Morgana to the couch after she fell asleep with her face on the dining table. He then tried to go to the bathroom, but Morgana wouldn't let go of him, demanding that he take her clothes off for her. He'd kept trying to stop her from stripping, but he didn't really have to do much anyway. In her intoxicated state, she couldn't even find the bottom of her dress. She'd given up a few minutes later and instead grabbed his ear and told him not to go anywhere. He'd ended up sitting on the floor in front of the couch, waiting for her to fall asleep and let go of his ear. He must've fallen asleep that way and ended up faced down on the carpet.

He chuckles softly as he looks at the slumbering girl and shakes his head. Getting up, he makes his way to the bathroom to finally relieve his bladder.

When he comes back, he finds Morgana still sleeping, so he decides to get a start on cleaning up in the kitchen and making breakfast.

Morgana moans softly as she rolls over, then nearly has a heart attack when she falls right off her bed. It's then that she realizes that she's not in her own bed. She's not in _any_ bed, but rather, Arthur and Gwen's leather couch in their living room. The memory of last night comes flooding back in (the earlier parts anyway), and she closes her eyes and huffs when she hears the sound of footsteps coming towards her.

Merlin snorts at the sight of Morgana laying on her back on the floor. "Sleep well?" He asks, though there is no sincerity in his voice.

Morgana opens one eye and peeks at him. "What time is it?"

Merlin looks at the watch on his wrist and says, "It's almost noon."

Morgana groans even louder as she sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. "We weren't supposed to sleep here."

Merlin nods. "I know... but you fell asleep on the table last night, so I had to carry your ass out here." He smirks at her and continues. "You wouldn't let me go after that."

Morgana scoffs as she finally gets up. "Don't flatter yourself. I tend to cling to the nearest douchebag when I'm drunk."

Merlin laughs at that. "You kept telling me to take your clothes off."

"It was hot!" Morgana says defensively.

"It was like 30 degrees last night!" Merlin returns incredulously.

Morgana glares at him, ready to explode at him. He really is the most insufferable man child in the world. She doesn't recall telling him to take off her clothes last night, but she wouldn't put it past her drunk self. She's unpredictable. Trying to hide the blush on her face, she looks around the floor for her purse.

"Your purse is on the kitchen counter." Merlin tells her, to which she says nothing, instead, walking past him towards the kitchen. He follows her quietly.

Morgana takes her phone out of her purse and checks it, finding several text messages from her co-workers. Morgana huffs as she puts it back in her purse. "I need some—". She cuts herself off when Merlin suddenly holds out a cup of coffee to her. She blinks at him suspiciously.

Merlin rolls his eyes at her. "Yes, it's coffee, and no, I didn't poison it."

Morgana smirks as she takes the cup and sips from it. She smiles as she eyes him. "Thank you."

Merlin snorts. "I didn't make it for you. I made it for me, but there's no creamer." He wrinkles his nose. "I don't like black coffee."

Morgana raises her eyebrows at him, "How'd you know _I_ liked black coffee?"

Merlin shrugs and goes to sit down at the table, "I didn't." He says simply.

Morgana shrugs as she joins him. She'll take it. She sets her cup down and looks at him as she purses her lips. "We didn't actually talk about anything we were supposed to talk about last night."

Merlin raises an eyebrow at her. "That's because you kept talking about your college days with Gwen."

"You wouldn't stop talking about _your_ college days with Arthur!"

"Yeah, but my stories were meaningful! Milestones! You kept going on about dresses and parties!"

"That dress was a vintage Balenciaga!" Morgana snaps at him.

"So it was old." Merlin nods. "Good to know."

"It wasn't old, it was vintage!"

"Vintage _is_ old!"

Morgana almost growls in anger. "I'm not even going to try and explain this to you. You have the brain capacity of a fucking shrew." She shakes her head and continues to sip her coffee.

Merlin rolls his eyes at her, unfazed by her insult, and checks his watch again. "Igraine's case worker will be dropping her off in 4 hours."

Morgana looks up at him then. They'd never been left alone with Igraine for more than a few hours. To think that they'll be left alone with her for good is terrifying. Possibly the most terrifying thing about this whole ordeal. Gwen is the mother type. She, on the other hand, doesn't know what it's like to have a mother, let alone _be_ one. And then there's Merlin, who probably thinks you can purchase babies online. She shakes her head as she stares at Merlin. "How are we going to do this?" She asks softly.

Merlin stares right back at her. "I don't know... I mean— we just have to feed her and wash her, right?"

Morgana glares at him incredulously. "She's a baby, not a dog."

"I know that!" He snaps. "I just don't know what a baby needs."

"Then that is what we should do right now." Morgana says as she gets up. "Gwen has her computer in the study. We can google how to take care of a baby."

"Google?" Merlin asks with a bewildered expression. "You want us to learn how to raise Arthur and Gwen's daughter from google?"

"Have you got any better ideas?" Morgana asks heatedly. When Merlin doesn't say anything, she nods and says, "Then shut up and follow me." She begins to walk away, but then stops and turns back to face Merlin. "And she's our daughter now... get used to calling her that."

...

The first thing that pops up on google when Morgana types in 'How to raise a 2 year old baby', is 'What to expect from a 2-Year old'.

"This looks like a good article to start on." She mumbles as she clicks on the link.

Reading through the article, Morgana feels utterly ridiculous. They'll have Igraine back in just under 4 hours, and they're googling how to raise her. Still, she doesn't say anything. This is more than she knows about babies.

After reading through the article with Merlin hovering over her shoulder, she closes the browser and turns the seat around to face him. "What do you think?"

Merlin purses his lips as he moves towards the other desk chair and sits in it. "I think we already know these things."

Morgana frowns at him. "How?"

"Gwen and Arthur. We've both seen how they were with Igraine. We've seen how much they adored and loved her. How they treated her like a baby princess. It's basically what was in the article."

Morgana is almost impressed with Merlin when she realizes that he's right. She doesn't tell him though. She just nods and pretends to have thought the exact same thing from the beginning. "Right... well, I think we should head to our own homes and start getting ready for tonight."

Merlin nods. "Right... err— before we go though, I thought I'd ask...".

"Ask what?" Morgana looks expectantly at him.

"What about the living arrangements?"

Morgana freezes at that. This is one of the things she'd been worried about. The living arrangements. She really doesn't want to live with Merlin under the same roof for long periods of time, but... "I don't think we really have a choice." She says quietly. "For Igraine's sake, it would be confusing for her to see us come and go... and for our sakes, I— I'm not keen on continuing to pay for a flat I'm not living in." She shrugs at him. "I trust you feel the same about your own flat?"

Merlin nods in agreement. "So we'll live here then." Merlin states. "There's only one problem with that."

"What?"

Merlin points out the door of the study. "There are only two bedrooms, one of which is already the baby's nursery."

Morgana stares at the door and bites her lip.

_Well, shit._

...

A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone! Next up, the arrival of baby Igraine! Anyways, for those of you who are waiting for an update for The Mad Prince, I'm almost done with the next Chapter. just making some adjustments. I'll update that next. Much love and please review!

-McDiggin'It


	3. Maybe Baby

Title: Maybe Love

...

Chapter Three: Maybe Baby

...

"You should take the room." Merlin says dismally. "I mean, it makes sense for the female to take the room. I can go sleep in the den downstairs."

It would've been a really sweet gesture if it weren't Merlin. Not just because it's Merlin, but because she knows exactly what he's trying to do... also, just because it's Merlin. Narrowing her eyes at him, she scoffs. "Do you think I was born yesterday?" She asks rhetorically.

Merlin shrugs, "I mean it would explain a lot."

"I'm not letting you get all the sleep downstairs while I'm up here with the baby!" Morgana snaps angrily.

Merlin feigns innocence. "I'm trying to be nice!"

Morgana inhales deeply as she runs her tongue over her top front teeth, trying to calm herself. The case worker will be arriving in about half an hour and it will do no one any good to walk into the house and find a deceased Merlin on the floor. It will do _her_ good, but it probably won't bode well with the law. "Merlin, I swear to god, you are grating on my last nerve."

Merlin actually beams with pride, which only adds fuel to the fire. Grabbing a pack of baby wipes from the top of one of the end tables in the room, Morgana hurls it at his head. She curses when he easily ducks out of the way and it hits the wall instead of her target— his face.

Merlin raises his eyebrows at her and raises a single finger, pointing at her. "Now now, Morgana. What did I tell you about throwing things when you're angry?" Merlin berates as though speaking to a child.

This, was the last straw. Morgana charges towards him with all her speed and strength, jumping up just as Merlin turns to run, and wrapping her arms around his neck. Merlin goes down, taking her with him. She ends up straddling his back, which is great for her, because then she starts smacking the back of his head. She hoped for cries of remorse and defeat from the man below her, but instead, she hears laughter. Using her knees to prop herself up, she pushes her knuckles into the middle of his back, finally earning her a pained, "Ow, fuck!"

"You're such a prick, Merlin!" She shouts at him, then squeals in shock when the man suddenly turns, flipping her off his back and onto her own back. The air is knocked out of her lungs as Merlin suddenly has the upper hand, straddling her thighs and grinning widely down at her. "Get off me!" Morgana yells at him, but his grin only widens even more. She goes to punch him in the jaw, but he's quick, leaning back and using his freakishly long arms to pin hers to the floor on either side of her head.

Merlin leans over her, smiling triumphantly. "Say you're sorry."

"No!"

"Say it."

"I would rather eat dirt."

Merlin suddenly smirks in that evil way he does when he has a stupid idea. "That's not entirely a bad idea." He says in thought.

Morgana's eyes widen as she fights to get her hands free. "Merlin, I swear to everything holy on this earth. If you even _think_ of sneaking dirt into my food, I will end your life!"

Merlin laughs hysterically at that as he leans down and practically lays on top of her, their fronts pressing together like a goddamned sandwich from hell. His face is so close to hers, she can actually smell his cologne. Morgana tries not to think about the fact that this is probably the first time they've ever been this close— or that his cologne is actually quite intoxicating. She combats that with the thought that if it were up to her, she'd have Merlin move to whatever galaxy is farthest from this one. Morgana thrashes around, But to no avail. The man may be thinner than most, but he weighs a fucking lot.

Their close proximity soon becomes too constricting, setting off her claustrophobia like nobody's business. "Merlin, get off!"

"Not until you apologize."

"For what?!" She snaps angrily as she tries to wiggle her hips free.

"For attacking me!" Merlin presses his knees together, trying to keep her legs still between them. "Will you quit moving?!"

"No!" Morgana angrily snaps in his face. She swears she's going to punch him in the dick as soon as she gets free. It's when she wiggles again that she suddenly feels— something— pressed up against her crotch. She stops moving abruptly and widens her eyes at Merlin. _Oh. My. God._ She thinks with a slight panic. _Is he really turned on by this? The fucking sick bastard! Oh my god, he's not going to force himself on me, right? I mean he's a bloody lunatic, no doubt about it. But he wouldn't really hurt me or anything, right?_

Merlin leans his head back and stares at her. "You don't really think I would do something like that, right?" Merlin suddenly asks from above her, his face the picture of what she thinks is almost pain. She'd never really seen him emotionally hurt besides the time when they were at the hospital for Gwen and Arthur, but that was different. This is a different kind of hurt. Like she'd just kicked his puppy.

Morgana blinks up at the man on top of her. _Had she said all of that out loud?_ She doesn't know why she should care, so she lashes out at him in anger. "I— I mean you're like insane, Merlin. I wouldn't put anything past you."

Merlin suddenly leans down so that his face is directly in front of hers. He glares so menacingly, it almost scares her. "Don't fucking flatter yourself, Morgana." He suddenly reaches down between them, and Morgana gasps as he pulls at something, before the hardness is no longer pressing at her crotch, and he's holding up his phone in front of her face. "You're not that hot." With that, he finally lets go of her arms as he gets up and walks right over her and out of the bedroom.

Morgana lays there for what feels like forever, her face reddening in both anger and embarrassment. God, did I really think he was going to do anything to me? She thinks about it for only a second before she decides that she didn't. She'd always known he was a bloody annoying and idiotic man child. But she had never ever thought he was a bad person... at least not in _that_ way. He has his issues, but uncontrollable desires to physically or sexually assault someone is not one of them. Her reaction was an in-the-moment moment.

She sighs as she finally gets up off the floor and looks out the door. He must've gone downstairs.

It takes her almost ten minutes to convince herself to go downstairs and apologize to Merlin for what she'd said and admittedly thought for only a second. He really did look hurt by her assumption, and now that she's thinking about it, probably by her reaction and expression as well. When she finally finds him in the kitchen, drinking from a carton of milk, she doesn't yell at him like she normally would've if she'd found him drinking from the carton before their little argument upstairs. Instead, she stands quietly at the counter and waits for him to notice her.

Merlin sighs as he closes the empty carton and throws it in the bin by the dishwasher. When he turns around, he nearly has a heart attack upon seeing Morgana standing there, watching him. "Jesus, Morgana! A warning would be nice." He says with a shake of his head.

Morgana could barely do it. Apologize, that is. She'd never really had to apologize to anyone besides her father, and Gwen. So, with one breath, she hurriedly apologizes. "I'm sorry for what I said upstairs. I just didn't know what to think, and I was frustrated and angry at you, and I didn't mean to make you think that I ever thought you would do that to me." She looks down in shame. "I know you're not that kind of person."

Merlin narrows his eyes at her as he folds his arms across his chest. "You're apologizing." He states suspiciously. "Why?"

Morgana sighs and tries not to glare at him. "Because I didn't mean what I said, okay?" She looks away at the countertop and shrugs. "I panicked... I always thought you were an idiot, but I've never thought that you're the type of guy who would force himself on someone."

Merlin visibly relaxes, unfolding his arms and letting his suspicion slide off his face, only to replace it with a smirk. "It's alright... I mean, you _did_ think my phone was my..." he trails off and uses his hand to gesture at the crotch of his jeans. "I don't know what kind of penises you're used to, seeing as how my phone is almost completely flat, but I get why you thought it was that."

Morgana glares at him as she sighs in defeat. "Why do I even bother with you?" She shakes her head as she makes her way out to the living room. "And for the record," Morgana stops, turns, and points a threatening finger at him. "I am not some slut who goes around sleeping with guys, just because they have a penis." She looks pointedly at him. "Otherwise, I would've slept with you a long time ago."

Merlin gapes at her in shock. "Wait, what?"

Morgana ignores him as she turns and continues into the living room. Merlin follows closely behind her.

"What does that even mean?!"

Morgana continues to ignore him as she takes a seat on the couch and smooths down the front of her dress.

Merlin comes to a stop in front of her, staring expectantly down at her. "What do you mean you would've slept with me a long time ago?" He wonders if he should be flattered or offended.

Morgana looks up at him and shakes her head. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"No." Merlin shakes his head and takes the loveseat across from her. "You did. Why'd you say that?"

Morgana huffs and rolls her eyes at him. Eye rolling always becomes a constant when Merlin is involved. "Because!" She finally shouts at him. "You've always belittled me and said horrible things that make me out to be some sort of nymphomaniac who can't keep her legs closed!" Her face burns in embarrassment, because now he knows that she's always been affected by some of the things he's said in the past.

Merlin stares at her as his mouth falls open. "You— I— I was kidding." He says seriously with a humorless laugh. "You _know_ that."

Morgana stares at him. "It doesn't make it less hurtful, Merlin... I've never been that kind of girl. Yes, I've dated a lot of guys. But that doesn't mean I sleep with all of them."

"Just some of them?" He asks teasingly, his nose crinkling as he tries not to laugh.

Morgana scowls at him. "I don't sleep with guys I'm not serious about!"

Merlin huffs as he leans back. "Okay... I'm sorry for saying those things about you... I mean— I never meant any of it. It was just— it was just the way I always talked to you, and you never said anything so... I went a bit overboard."

"A bit?" Morgana raises an eyebrow at him.

"Fine." Merlin sighs. "A lot... and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I just... I always thought you ignored everything I say."

Morgana nods slowly. They've come to an understanding... sort of. There's no telling with Merlin. "I'm glad we're on the same page then."

Merlin nods and offers a half smile. "I know you don't sleep around, Morgana." He shrugs at her. "I mean I always say that you do, but it's always to your face. I never say anything about you to other people."

Morgana stares at him. It's almost flattering. "Well... that's _something_." She says with a returned half smile. And it is. At least she knows that he would never spread rumors about her. And now that she thinks about it, she doesn't think he'd ever called her a slut or anything when Gwen, Arthur, or anyone else was around. His cruelty was always saved for when they were alone. And that, she thinks, is something. She doesn't know what it is, but it's something.

...

Morgana tries not to fidget as she stands with Merlin by the door and waits with bated breath. They'd just seen the case workers car pull up in the driveway, so they made their way to the door to wait for the doorbell to ring.

The doorbell finally rings, and Morgana looks expectantly at Merlin. He stares back at her, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "I hate you." She says as she crosses in front of him and pulls the door open. She quickly plasters a large smile on her face as the case worker comes into view. Beside her, she has a stroller with its cover pulled forward, blocking the baby from view.

"Hi!" Morgana greets enthusiastically. "Please come in." She takes a step back, pulling the door wider for the stroller to fit in. When she turns to look at Merlin, she finds him smiling awkwardly at the case worker. Morgana glares at him, mouthing for him to stop smiling like that.

"Hey-llo." Merlin says awkwardly. "Errr— I'm Merlin." He holds his hand out towards the case worker, who nods and shakes his hand.

"You're to be Igraine's adoptive father?"

Merlin nods immediately. "Yes, that's me."

The case worker turns and looks at Morgana. "And you must be Morgana."

Morgana smiles widely. "Yes I am."

"Good." The case worker then pushes the stroller into the living room and takes a look around. "We previously sent inspectors to check out the house. According to the report," she pauses and takes a folder from her bag. "... it looks like this house is approved for the care of a child." She then turns and hands the folder over to Morgana. "However, there are still a few things that we need to discuss and finalize before I officially hand Igraine over to you both."

As they sip on tea, the case worker asks them questions about their jobs, lifestyles, partners, etc. The question they weren't prepared for, is the one about their relationship.

"It is to my understanding that you are not married or engaged to each other. Are you dating?"

Morgana nearly chokes on her tea as Merlin's merely continues stuffing crackers into his mouth. "What, like— each other?"

The case worker nods slowly. "Yes... or dating in general."

"I— we errr— what does this have to do with Igraine's adoption?" Morgana asks confusedly.

The case worker leans forward with a serious expression on her face. "It has _everything_ to do with Igraine's adoption, Miss Le Faye. We need to know that the family Igraine is placed with, is stable and consistent. It is unhealthy for a child of her age to be around numerous strangers. Not only will it confuse her, it may also upset her, and cause her to become emotionally detached from reality. We do not want to just hand children over to random people."

"Random people?" Morgana asks defensively before looking at Merlin, as if expecting him to defend her.

Merlin swallows his mouthful of crackers and interjects. "Wait, I thought we'd already had this settled. Gwen and Arthur left their baby to us. We signed the adoption papers yesterday."

"Be that as it may, we are the ones who finalize everything." The case workers says sternly. "There are protocols and procedures that must be followed. We cannot simply approve an adoption because the child's biological parents deemed two people worthy of being their baby's parents. If that were the case, we would have hundreds of unfit parents running around with children they cannot take care of, or love."

Morgana and Merlin both stare at the woman in silence. They exchange a quick look before turning to look at the tall, thin woman again. Morgana is the one who speaks first. "You're right..." she looks over at the stroller where Igraine still sleeps. "We just want her to be safe and happy... and we really want to be the ones to give her that."

The case worker sighs softly before smiling a little. "Good... the first step of becoming an adoptive parent, is accepting that you are doing this for the child, and not yourself."

"What do we need to do?" Merlin asks.

"Well," The case worker looks between him and Morgana. "You can start by telling me about your relationship to one another."

Merlin looks at Morgana and shrugs. "We're friends." He lies easily.

Morgana nods immediately. "Yes, the best of friends." She adds for good measure.

The case worker stares at them, completely unfazed. "Have you ever dated? Or been together physically?"

Morgana's jaw practically dislodges itself. "I— we— we've never—".

"No." Merlin cuts in. "We're just really good— _great_ friends."

The case worker stares at them some more before nodding slowly as she takes a pen from her jacket pocket and writes something down in the folder.

"What are you writing?" Morgana asks curiously.

The case worker clicks her pen again and looks up at Morgana. "I'm noting down the fact that you've just lied to me."

"What?" Morgana asks incredulously. "We didn't lie—".

"I hold two PH.D's in Psychology and Behavioral Analysis, Miss Le Faye. I may not look like someone who would take a child away from a parent, but I _will_ if I have to. What I've gathered since I stepped foot into this house, is that the two of you are not friends. You do not like each other, in fact, you loathe each other."

Morgana and Merlin both look down and away, feeling ashamed about lying.

"I've also noticed that you lie easily _together._ Covering up for the other... this suggests that you do not entirely hate each other. There is a difference between you two, that is unmistakeable... however, there are also similarities that you may not know you share." The case worker waves a hand in front of her. "I can even go as far as saying that you do hold a certain degree of care for each other. For example, Mr. Emrys likes to look to you, Miss Le Faye, for confirmation on things. This suggests that he thinks highly of your opinion. And Miss Le Faye, you tend to rely on Mr. Emrys for support and help. This suggests that you believe him to be reliable and comforting."

Morgana and Merlin gapes at the woman, completely speechless.

"You'll be in denial, of course." The case worker continues. "But that's because you are both stubborn— a characteristic you both share." She then gets up and puts her hands behind her back as she looks at the young man and woman before her. "I've seen many young people lie for selfish reasons." She says slowly. "But... you two are not one of them; at least, not where Igraine is concerned." She raises a hand to stop the young man from interjecting again with what she knows is probably an explanation for why they lied in the first place. "I understand that your friends, the parents of Igraine, were taken abruptly by a terrible accident... I understand that you feel you need to be there for their little girl... and I also understand that you are both not ready for this— parenting." She pauses to look pointedly at the two, who both nod at her in agreement. "For that reason, I know that you're at least willing to try your best."

Merlin sighs softly and looks at Morgana. "We're not the best of friends." He says quietly, then looks up at the case worker. "In fact, we were never really friends at all."

Morgana nods along with him and looks at the case worker. "Merlin and I are like night and day. We hardly ever see eye to eye, and we argue more than any duo I know of."

"But we're good people." Merlin says truthfully. "Morgana is organized, careful, attentive, and freakishly good at making people feel better when she wants to."

"And Merlin," Morgana adds. "Is surprisingly supportive, kind, sensitive, sweet in his own way, and protective of the people he cares about."

Merlin suddenly gets up, standing in front of the case worker with a hopeful look in his eyes. Morgana follows suit. "If you give us a chance to be Igraine's parents, I know we can come together and be exactly what she needs."

Morgana nods immediately in agreement. "We already love and care for her so much... becoming her parents will be like second nature to us."

The case worker cracks a smile at that. "Having a child is much more than that, you know?"

The young man and woman nod in unison.

""It won't be easy."

"We know." Morgana says softly.

"And you still want to adopt her?"

Merlin and Morgana exchange looks, both nodding, before the latter replies, "We are her godparents... her family."

The case worker nods and smiles. "I know... that is why I will approve her adoption. However," she says warningly. "... you both need to understand that a child is a very huge responsibility. She will need constant attention, support, love, and most of all, a safe and stable environment. If she is to feel the attention, support, and love from the both of you, that is something you have to be willing to show each other as well."

Merlin looks at Morgana, who raises her eyebrows at him.

"You may decide how to work that out later." The case worker adds. "Although, you should know that our agency has a final inspection that will be due in 6 months. We like to make sure that our clients are still happy with their decision."

As the case worker signs the finalized documents, Morgana and Merlin share a silent look of relief. "Ah, one last thing." The woman before them stands up and looks between them. "What last name will little Igraine take?"

Merlin looks to Morgana, then instantly widens his eyes upon the realization that the case worker was right. He _does_ always look to Morgana for confirmation. Morgana stares at him for only a moment before she turns and smiles at the case worker. "Emrys." She answers. "Her last name should be Emrys." She avoids looking at Merlin, knowing that she'd just confirmed what the case worker had said. She _does_ find Merlin reliable and comforting... sometimes.

...

Once the case worker leaves the house, Morgana and Merlin make their way over to the stroller, careful not to startle the baby awake.

Merlin slowly pulls back the shade, revealing the sleeping 2 year old, hugging a stuffed rabbit to her chest.

Morgana lets out a soft, "Awww."

Merlin smiles as he stoops down in front of the stroller and watches her face for a moment. "I never really noticed how much she looks like Arthur."

Morgana smiles widely as she nods and stoops down beside Merlin. "She has Gwen's hair and smile though."

Merlin nods in agreement before looking at Morgana. "Do you think we should move her into her nursery?"

Morgana nods and turns to look at him as well. "I'll take her."

She's extra careful and extra quiet as she takes Igraine out of her stroller. Cradling her head against her chest, Morgana leans her head down and presses a soft kiss to the top of her blonde curls. Merlin follows her up to the nursery, being careful not to walk too loud. Once in the room, Morgana stands by the crib for a few minutes, gently rocking the little girl before placing her inside her crib.

When she turns around, she finds Merlin watching them with his cheeks puffed out. Her eyebrows furrow as she whispers, asking, "Are you holding your breath?"

Merlin nods as his face grows red.

Morgana resists the urge to laugh. "Why?"

He gestures for her to follow him out of the room before finally breathing in and out deeply. "I didn't want to wake her."

Morgana quirks an eyebrow at him. "By holding your breath?"

He shrugs at her. "All the windows are closed up here, so breathing is loud. Aren't your ears ringing from the lack of noise?"

Morgana shakes her head at him. "I think she'll be okay as long as you don't go stomping around the house."

Merlin sighs and begins to say something, but is interrupted by the wailing of the 2 year old girl in the room. He narrows his eyes at Morgana. "You were saying?"

...

Merlin smiles as he rocks Igraine gently in his arms while Morgana works at getting her milk from the kitchen. It didn't take long for Igraine to recognize them when she woke up from her nap, smiling happily as she threw herself into Morgana's open arms. She had then seen Merlin standing behind her, and immediately wanted to be transferred over to him.

Merlin loves the way her tiny little face scrunches up as she uses her fist to rub at her nose. "Aww, is your nose itchy?" He asks softly as he uses his thumb to gently wipe off the little bit of snot at her left nostril. He proceeds to wipe it off on his jeans before going back to smiling at the little girl as he paces around the living room with her.

She's a little small for a 2-year old, and he recalls Arthur telling him that he was a small child at that age as well. Merlin smiles sadly as he reaches a hand up and gently rubs the back of Iggy's head. "You're just like Arthur... small and blonde... thank goodness you don't have his giant head though." He laughs softly.

Morgana comes back, holding an 8oz. bottle of milk and a burp rag. "I can feed her if you want to get some rest." She offers quietly, but Merlin is already shaking his head.

"No, I got it." He looks down at the little girl and smiles when she smiles widely up at him. "Right, Ig? Uncle Merlin will—". He cuts himself off and looks up at Morgana. He'd gotten so used to being uncle Merlin, that he forgot that he's no longer just an uncle to this little girl... _their_ little girl. "I'll feed her." He says softly as he sits down on the couch and takes the bottle from Morgana.

Morgana sits a few inches away from them, watching as Merlin pulls the cap off the battle and begins feeding her her milk. They've both fed Igraine before. It was around the time when the little girl was only several months old and they'd taken turns helping Gwen and Arthur out with juggling their jobs and taking care of their infant. It feels different now. Now, they're not just helping out. Now, this is their life. Igraine is theirs.

Igraine doesn't take long, probably having last eaten before the case worker brought her over. Merlin sits her up and rubs her back until she burps a few minutes later. He looks at Morgana and asks, "Do you think she'll be okay tonight?"

Morgana blinks at Merlin, not really what he means. "Why wouldn't she be?"

Merlin shrugs as he lets Igraine down onto the carpeted floor to play with some of her toys. "I mean she's two... won't she be fussy and upset to not— to not have Arthur and Gwen put her to sleep like usual?"

Morgana looks down at the little girl and sighs deeply. "I guess we'll find out."

And find out, they do.

At a quarter past 11, Morgana tries her best to calm down the crying little tike as Merlin runs around the nursery, trying to find a toy or stuffed teddy bear to help ease Iggy's tantrum. She's been crying for almost an hour now, unable to sleep as she continuously rubs her eyes.

"Nothing's working." Merlin says in exasperation. "I mean she smiled at the stuffed lamb for like half a second, and then went right back to crying."

Morgana is almost in tears herself, having never been through something like this. Ten hours of work is nothing compared to this. She tries bouncing on the balls of her feet, trying to emit some sort of calm from the little girl, but it does nothing.

"Maybe it's her diaper." Merlin says worriedly. He comes up in front of Morgana and leans down, sniffing at the little girls diaper. He shakes his head and sighs. "She's clean."

"Maybe she just needs something familiar."

Merlin blinks incredulously at Morgana. "Everything in this house should be familiar to her, Morgana. Including us."

"Well I don't know what it is then." Morgana says in exasperation.

Merlin sighs softly as he looks at the small child. "Let me take her for a little while." He holds his arms out and takes Igraine, hugging her gently into his chest as he paces the room. "Shhhhh..." he walks around the room and begins to hum a song that he heard Gwen sing to her a few weeks ago. Almost immediately, Igraine begins to calm down, sniffling quietly as she lays her head on Merlin's shoulder.

Morgana gapes at Merlin and whispers, "Why didn't you do that an hour ago?"

Merlin looks at her and shakes his head. "I don't know. I didn't think about it until I was holding her."

Igraine stirs, prompting Morgana to wave her hands at Merlin to continue humming. Merlin gets right back into it, gently bouncing in his feet with every step. In five minutes, Igraine finally falls asleep and Merlin sighs softly in relief.

Ever so slowly, he moves Igraine from his arms and into the crib before pulling her blanket over her. Morgana comes up beside him, turning on the mobile hanging over her crib. The tiny planets begin to rotate slowly as a light projects the image of stars into the ceiling.

Merlin smiles as he leans down and presses a soft kiss into little Iggy's curls, before moving aside so Morgana can do the same.

The young man and woman back slowly out of the room, careful to avoid making any noise. They leave the door halfway open before moving towards the staircase and sitting down at the top.

"We survived." Morgana says jokingly as she looks tiredly over at the equally tired Merlin.

Merlin smiles and nods. "Yeah... that was brutal."

Morgana couldn't help but smile as well. "You are my sunshine." She says absently.

Merlin looks at her and smirks. "And you are my little flower petal."

Morgana elbows him in the side as she tries not to laugh. "I was referring to the song you were humming."

Merlin smiles and nods as he looks down towards the bottom of staircase. "I know."

"Gwen used to to sing it to her all the time." Morgana says softly. "I didn't even think about it."

Merlin looks at her and shakes his head. "I didn't either... I only remembered because by the time you gave her to me, she was too exhausted to keep crying and I could finally hear myself think."

Morgana leans back, using her hands to prop her up as she looks up at the ceiling. "I miss them."

Merlin says nothing but nod. He gets up and turns towards Morgana, offering a hand to help her up. She takes it, letting him pull her onto her feet. He nods towards the bedroom and says, "You should get some sleep."

Morgana looks at the bedroom, then to him. "What about you?"

Merlin looks at Igraine's door and smiles. "I'll make sure she's sleeping alright."

Morgana raises an eyebrow at him. "You're not a vampire, Merlin. You need sleep too."

He sighs and looks at her for a moment. "You do realize that there's only one bed in there, right?"

Morgana rolls her eyes at him. "What are we, teenagers? I'm sure we can both sleep through the night without resorting to other activities." she starts walking towards the bedroom.

Merlin nods as he purses his lips and follows her. "Fine… but if you start inching those fingers up my thigh, I'm leaving." he jokes, then quickly ducks out of the way as Morgana swings an arm at him.

They're not quite out of each other's kill zones. But at least no one died, right? They're not even fully able to appreciate the quality of the Flaneur duvet, because they're almost immediately asleep as soon as they laid down.

...

A/N: I'll be updating Mad Prince next! I was supposed to update it before this, but the chapter got kind of complicated, so I had to rewrite it. This was much easier to write. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this update. I've already written two more chapters for this, but I want to space it out a bit. Also, if you havent noticed, I dont know jackshit about adopting.

-McDiggin'It


	4. Maybe Memories

Title: Maybe Love

...

Chapter Four: Maybe Memories

...

It's the day of the funeral and Morgana is barely able to hold it together. For maybe the first time ever, she relies on Merlin to be the one to take the reigns. She knew today was going to be hard. She hadn't known just how hard it was going to be.

As Merlin gets Iggy ready, she sits on the edge of the bathtub and stares at the white and blue tiles on the bathroom floor. Her chest feels tight, her heart feels heavy, and her eyes feel like they're about to fall out of her head as she tries her best not to cry.

Her hands shake as she balls them into fists. She's devastated and angry. Angry at the world, angry at the dumb fucking driver who hit her friends, angry at Merlin for being able to keep it together when she can't even go two minutes without wanting to burst into tears. She's angry at the situation they're in, and she's angry at Gwen and Arthur for leaving her here... alone... with Merlin of all people to take care of their daughter.

Everything is just so hard. More so than usual. She inhales deeply as she looks at the mirror and stands up to face it. Her eyes are red-rimmed and bloodshot from the lack of sleep last night. Knowing that they were going to be saying their final goodbyes to their best friends today made it hard for her to get any sleep. Merlin was dead asleep, not even stirring when she kept getting up to go to the bathroom to secretly cry her eyes out.

She's startled by the sound of a knock on the door, and she quickly takes a tissue, dabbing at the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, are you ready yet?" Merlin calls through the door. "Iggy's getting fussy."

Morgana takes a deep breath before finally unlocking the bathroom door and stepping out. Merlin is sitting on the edge of the bed they've been sharing for the past couple of days, gently bouncing Iggy on his leg.

"I'm ready." She says softly, even though she feels anything but ready to say goodbye to their best friends for good. Seeing their bodies will be tough, but she'd wanted to see them anyway before they become cremated.

Merlin straps Iggy into her car seat as she sits in the passenger seat, staring out of the windshield. They'd agreed that they would take one car today to save on gas and parking spaces... she thinks Merlin only offered because he noticed the way her hands shook this morning when she was making breakfast for Iggy.

As they drive down the road, Morgana watches Iggy through the rearview mirror. The little girl is quiet, almost falling asleep several times. It's when they're at a traffic light that Merlin turns his head towards her and asks, "Are you okay?"

Morgana snaps out of her thoughts and looks at the man beside her. "What?"

"I asked if you're okay."

She stares at him for a moment before replying. "We're saying goodbye to our friends today, for the last time. Do I look like I'm okay?" She didn't really mean to lash out at him, and she instantly regrets it when he nods and begins driving again when the light turns green.

"Sorry I asked." He says quietly.

Morgana sighs heavily and shakes her head. "I'm sorry... it's just— hard."

"I know." Is all Merlin says before it's quiet again.

The funeral service is short and beautiful. All of Arthur and Gwen's family members and close friends were present. They'd played a slideshow of all the pictures Merlin submitted online, and Morgana couldn't help but let her tears fall. One picture in particular stood out to her. It was a picture that was taken of the four of them together, back when Arthur and Gwen first started dating 10 years ago.

She remembers that night like it was yesterday. Partly because it was the night when she was forced by Gwen and Arthur into a double date with Merlin, and partly because it was one of the only nights when she allowed herself to feel anything for him.

She stares at nothing as they drive back home, though her thoughts keep going back to that night. It had been one of the best nights of her life— mostly. She remembers the way Merlin had gaped at her when he came by her flat to pick her up.

"You look even more beautiful in person." He'd said softly as he held his hand out to her.

"Thank you." She grinned widely and put her hand in his. She admired him in his suit. "You don't look too bad yourself." She'd said as she eyed his cheekbones. He looked absolutely handsome.

She really was attracted to him then... she supposes, he still is attractive (probably more so now than before— the man ages like fine wine), but what she knows about him now almost completely trumps his physical appearance.

As they walk into their living room, Merlin immediately goes up to the nursery and begins changing Iggy out of her formal little dress and into a pink onesie. He comes back down, carrying her in his arms, to find Morgana downing an entire glass of wine. He says nothing as he takes Iggy and puts her in her play area with all her toys. Iggy immediately starts crawling over to her toys, playing with her musical rhymes book.

Merlin turns and looks at the kitchen where Morgana is still standing, now pouring herself another glass of wine. She doesn't even wait a moment before she's knocking the glass back again. "You should slow down." He says softly as he approaches her.

Morgana looks at him and glares. "You should mind your own business." She spat.

Merlin sighs as he stops and leans over the counter. "I'm just trying to help."

Morgana snorts as she pours yet another glass. "That's rich, coming from you."

Merlin's eyebrows furrow at her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Morgana shrugs as she take a large gulp from her wineglass. "You're not the helping type."

"What?" Merlin asks incredulously. "I'm _always_ helping people whenever I can."

"Because it makes you feel good about yourself." Morgana deadpans. "Not because you care."

Merlin glares at Morgana then as he reaches over the counter and snatches the bottle of wine out of her hand. "You should go get some sleep." He says sternly. "You're clearly upset."

Morgana scoffs at him as she raises her hand to wipe her mouth. "I'm not upset. I'm just telling the truth." She stops to drain the rest of her glass before reaching out to try and take the bottle of wine back from Merlin.

Merlin immediately pulls the bottle away. "What the hell are you even talking about? I've _always_ cared about people." He says with narrowed eyes.

Morgana glares at him. "Give me the bottle, Merlin."

"No."

"Give it to me." Morgana walks around the counter, prompting Merlin to back away from her and hide the bottle behind his back.

"I said no."

Morgana grits her teeth and balls her hands into fists as she stomps her foot angrily. "Damn it, Merlin! Just give me the bottle!"

Merlin is just about to yell back at her, but he's interrupted by Igraine's sudden startled cries. Morgana's eyes widen as she looks over at the play pen, realizing that she'd startled her with her yelling.

"I— I didn't mean to startle her—".

Merlin scowls at her as he hands her the bottle. "I'll be upstairs with Iggy."

He takes her up and plays with her in her nursery until she falls asleep. After putting her down and checking the baby monitor, Merlin finally goes into the room and changes into his casual clothes— a white shirt and black basketball shorts. He checks on Iggy again before making his way back downstairs to check on Morgana. She may be a pain in his ass, but he understands why she's upset today.

He finds her sitting at the dining table, nursing what is possibly her last glass, if the empty bottle in front of her is any indication. He says nothing as he goes to the refrigerator and grabs himself a beer. He drinks half of it in one go before he makes his way over to Morgana. He still doesn't say anything as he takes the seat across from her.

Morgana looks up at him for a brief moment before returning to staring at her glass. "Is— is she asleep?"

Merlin nods. "Yeah."

Morgana inhales deeply as she nods repeatedly. "That's good. She needs her sleep."

Merlin takes a sip of his beer and looks down at the table. "What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?"

Morgana shakes her head as she looks at him. "I already told my boss that I won't be in to work this week... he knows about what happened to Gwen and Arthur... and about Iggy. I'll be with Iggy all week so we don't have to take her to the daycare until I go back to work."

Merlin takes another sip and looks at her with a sort of sad look in his eyes. "I heard you last night." He says quietly.

At first, she doesn't know what he means... and then she remembers how she'd cried through the whole night. She glares at him again. "You were awake?"

Merlin nods. "I didn't want to disturb you or anything."

"So you just laid there pretending to be asleep!?"

"What would you have me do?!" Merlin snaps at her. "Follow you to the bathroom and hold your hand while you sobbed on the floor?"

"You could've just said you were awake so I didn't have to keep running to the bathroom!"

"I thought you needed to use the bathroom!"

Morgana drops her forehead to her hand and sighs heavily. "I don't even know why I expect you to do anything. You literally never do anything right."

"Okay, what the fuck are you talking about?" Asks in exasperation. "You said something similar earlier about me not caring."

"Well it's true." Morgana deadpans.

"Where is this even coming from?!"

Morgana suddenly pushes her chair back as she grabs her wineglass and begins walking away. Merlin doesn't let her get very far, suddenly up on his feet as well and following her.

"No." Merlin grabs her hand and forces her to turn around and face him. "I know today is tough, but whatever you're holding against me doesn't really have anything to do with Gwen and Arthur."

"Let me go, Merlin." Morgana says sternly, angrily, as she tries to pull her hand out of his. It's to no avail, for his hand is much larger than hers, and definitely stronger than hers.

"No." Merlin replies harshly. "Tell me what the fuck you're angry at me about."

"I'm alwaysangry at you!" Morgana says furiously. "Now let me go!"

"Then tell me why you're angrier than usual!"

"I don't have to tell you a damned thing!" Morgana tries her best to pull away, but Merlin only pulls her harshly towards him, ending with her flush against his chest and her wineglass shattering on the floor beside them. Despite the high-pitched sound of shattering glass, neither one of them breaks from each other's hold and stare.

Morgana is breathing heavily, her eyes staring into Merlin's blue ones and her free hand on his shoulder. The one in Merlin's is trapped between their bodies, tingling from the lack of blood circulating under Merlin's grip. She thinks he's going to let go, maybe even push her away. But instead, he says it again.

"Tell me."

Morgana couldn't help the way her mind automatically flashes to that day ten years ago.

...

"It'll be great!"

"No." Morgana shakes her head for the third time. "Double dates are so overrated, Gwen. It's weird, awkward, and a waste of time. I'm not going to put myself in that position, and quite frankly, Arthur befriends the most horrendous men. Not to mention, every single one of his friends that I've met or seen, look like they came straight out of an I'm-not-Morgana's-type book."

"That's not even a thing!" Gwen argues with hopeful eyes.

Morgana glares at her friend. "It is _now_. I'm making it a thing. Anyone who is Arthur's friend is either unattractive, or rude and unattractive."

Gwen sighs exasperatedly as she gets her phone out and dials Arthur's number.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asks suspiciously.

Gwen grins at her as she puts her phone on speaker. "You'll see."

On the third ring, the blonde man answers with a brief, "Yes, my love?"

Morgana pretends to gag at the endearment, prompting a small laugh and eye roll from Gwen.

"Hey. Erm— so I'm here with Morgana right now."

"Uh-huh."

"And she's refusing to go on a double date with Merlin."

Morgana snorts. "What kind of name is Merlin?"

"Funny." Arthur quips with a hint of humor in his voice. "Merlin refused as well before saying the exact same thing about Morgana's name."

Morgana's eyes widen as she jumps to defend herself. "What?! Morgana is a _very_ common name!"

"I'm sure it was... a _very_ long time ago." Arthur teases. Gwen snickers softly as Morgana rolls her eyes.

"Shut up." Morgana says flatly.

"Anyway," Gwen cuts in before Arthur could reply with something that'll make Morgana angry. "I was wondering if you could take a picture of Merlin and send it to my phone."

Arthur goes silent for a moment, then asks slowly, "Why?"

"So Morgana can see what he looks like." Gwen replies matter-of-factly. "I kept telling her that he's really good looking and has cheekbones and a jawline that could cut through a block of cement—".

"Hey!" Arthur interjects defensively. "_I'm_ your boyfriend."

Gwen snickers softly. "Aww, I only have eyes for you, my love. You're more handsome than any—". Gwen stops talking at the disgusted look on Morgana's face. "Erm— right, and I thought that maybe if she saw what he looks like, she would agree to at least meet him."

"That's actually a good idea. And maybe you can take a picture of Morgana so Merlin can see what she looks like as well."

Gwen smiles widely and looks at Morgana. "That'd be perfect."

Morgana nearly disagrees again, but she's actually genuinely curious. She'd been told of the jawline and the cheekbones on this Merlin guy. But she thought Gwen was only saying it to get her to agree. Gwen knows she has a weakness for those sharp jawlines and high cheekbones. She stays silent as Gwen continues on.

"Okay, remember to take three pictures. One from a high angle, one from the front, and one from the side."

"So a mugshot?" Arthur asks with a laugh.

Gwen giggles, despite Morgana not seeing what's funny. "I'll send you three pictures of Morgana to show Merlin."

"Cool. I'll see you tonight?"

Gwen nods enthusiastically. "Of course."

They hang up, and Morgana raises an eyebrow at her best friend. "Three pictures?"

Gwen chuckles. "To capture all angles in case there's an angle you might not like."

Morgana rolls her eyes and sighs heavily. "Fine. So if I don't like all of Merlin's angles, I'm not going on that stupid double date."

"Deal." Gwen says gleefully as she gets up to get her camera from her room. "And no backsies!"

Morgana stares after her friend, wondering how she's so confident that she'll find the Merlin guy attractive. Is he really that hot?

An hour later finds Gwen's phone buzzing. She checks her message from Arthur and smiles widely at the pictures he sent. "Dear God, he really does have nice cheekbones." She mutters absently, getting Morgana's attention.

"He sent them?"

Gwen looks up and nod. "I'm about to send your pictures too."

Morgana says nothing to that as she sits up and looks expectantly at Gwen. "So let me see him."

Gwen smiles widely as she raises a finger. "One moment, please."

Morgana huffs as she waits. After Gwen sends her pictures, she finally turns her phone over and shows Morgana one of the pictures that had been sent from Arthur's phone.

Morgana takes the phone from Gwen, letting her eyes adjust for a moment. It's a side portrait, and her eyes immediately dart to the sharp jawline. From this angle, he actually really looks amazing. He has just a bit of stubble that adds rather than takes away from his good looks, and his hair is slightly tousled. Morgana hums as she glances up at her friend who has an abnormally large grin on her face. _God, she already knows my type and knows I'm into guys who look like— well... Merlin._ _Fuck_.

The next picture is one from a high angle, captured from just above him, but tilted down to catch his hair, nose, lips, and holy fuck— his cheekbones. Morgana raises her head to glare at Gwen. "I hate you." She says half seriously.

Gwen laughs at that. "Is it the one with the cheekbones?"

Morgana nods and pouts. "It's not fair. You know I have a thing for cheekbones."

Gwen snickers softly as Morgana returns to admiring the photo.

She frowns and asks, "Jesus, is Arthur a skilled photographer? Or does this Merlin really look like this from that angle?"

Gwen leans over to look at the image again before shaking her head. "No, he really looks like that. Arthur takes horrible photos."

Morgana continues to skeptically inspect the picture. Her eyes keep going back to his cheekbones and the slight shadow they cast onto his cheeks. _Motherfucker_, she thinks as she swipes to the last photo.

The last one is a front facing photo, and this time, instead of the relaxed face, she gets a slightly grinning face from the man. It's the last photo that actually does her in. The goddamned dimple, the wavy- slightly tousled hair, the deep blue eyes, the perfectly proportioned nose, and the lips. He looks like a bloody model. "What the fuck, Gwen?" She looks up and glares some more. "Did you find him in a magazine or something?"

Gwen squeals with delight. "Is that a yes?!"

Morgana huffs and rolls her eyes. "I— I don't know... if he wants to go on a date after seeing my picture, then yes."

Gwen practically jumps up and down as she pumps her fist into the air. "He already said yes!"

"Wait, what?!" Morgana cries incredulously. "When?"

"An hour ago." Gwen shrugs. "Arthur has tons of pictures of me and you together in his phone."

Morgana glares half seriously at her friend. "Then why'd we spend an hour trying to take pictures of me?!"

Gwen shrugs, "To hype you up."

"Then why'd you send my pictures?"

Gwen snorts. "I didn't. I sent Arthur a text."

Morgana swipes down on the photo of Merlin and scrolls up to the last text that Gwen sent.

_We both know she's going to say yes. Cheekbones, jawline, dimples, eyes from an anime character. Case closed._

"Gwen!"

Gwen snatches her phone out of Morgana's hands and sprints towards the door, stopping to shoot her a sheepish smile. "I'll text you his number!"

...

She has been on many dates before, but tonight will be the first time she's been this nervous. Her heart is hammering, her stomach is fluttering, her hands are clammy, and her eyes keep darting towards her phone.

"What the fuck?" She whispers to herself as she picks up a folder from her work and begins fanning herself. "It's not like I've never been on a bloody date before."

She jumps a little when her phone rings. She looks down at the caller ID. She'd been expecting his call, but it still surprises her. His name flashes across her screen, and she takes a deep breath, clears her throat, then finally answers.

"Hello?"

"Err— Morgana?"

She smiles a little, albeit nervously. He has a nice, deep, and soothing voice. "Yes. Merlin, right?" She asks as if she doesn't already know his name.

"Yes, that's me." He chuckles softly. "I'm actually about five minutes away from your place. I thought I'd give you a little warning before showing up at your door."

She almost sighs. A gentleman. How adorable! "Oh, thank you. I'm actually almost ready now, so your timing is perfect." That's a lie. She's been ready for almost an hour.

"Great. I guess I'll see you soon."

"I'll see you soon." She grins widely.

The call ends, and she finally makes her way out into the living room. She pours herself a glass of Pinot Grigio, hoping it gets rid of the nerves... It doesn't. She ends up pacing in her kitchen, until the knock finally comes.

She takes a few deep breaths as she makes her way over, stopping briefly to check that she's presentable, before finally unlocking and opening the front door.

Her first thought? His pictures don't do him justice. The man himself is tall, which is perfect since she'd actually worried about his height, earlier in her room. He has really fair skin for a man, and the stubble really adds a sort of rugged, manly look to him. And then, there's his jawline, his cheekbones, and that bloody adorable dimple on his right cheek. She nearly melts to the floor at the look he's giving her, eyes hungrily feasting on her face, her body, her dress, even her shoes.

"You look even more beautiful in person." He says softly as he holds his hand out to her.

"Thank you." She smiles widely and puts her hand in his. She admires him in his formal suit. "You don't look too bad yourself." She mutters as she eyes his fitted suit. He looks absolutely handsome.

He chuckles, his eyes crinkling into what she can only describe in the way Gwen did in her text— anime character eyes._ God, he's dreamy!_

"Shall we?" He asks politely.

Morgana doesn't waste any more time, nodding to him and excusing herself quickly to turn off the lights and grab her clutch from the kitchen counter.

Together, they make their way down the steps and to Merlin's silver Audi A7. She silently thinks she's found someone who actually drives something that isn't a truck or a Jeep. Nothing wrong with those... it's just that she has literally never dated a guy who didn't drive a truck or a Jeep. This is a nice change. "Are Gwen and Arthur meeting us there?" She asks absently.

"Yes. They decided on dinner, a movie, and maybe some dessert later on in the city." Merlin opens the door for her and smiles. "I hope you're okay with that."

As Morgana climbs into his car, she smiles up at him. Once seated and buckled in, she nods at him. "Sounds fun." She says truthfully.

He grins at her, closes her door, and makes his way around to the other side.

...

Their night couldn't have been more perfect. While Gwen and Arthur were making out like a bunch of horny teenagers in the movie theater, she and Merlin had actually sat side by side, sharing popcorn, and occasionally glancing at each other. The connection and chemistry between them was unmistakeable. Morgana definitely felt it, and she'd wanted to see where things were going between them. That is, until he'd excused himself when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

She'd smiled and giddily grinned to herself as she took a sip of her drink. It was then that she realized that she really needs to empty her bladder. She was going to tell Gwen that she'll be back, but the girl was too busy with Arthur's tongue down her throat. Morgana made a face as she left the theater, heading down the hall to the nearest restroom.

When she comes back out, she stops abruptly at the sight of her date, leaning against the wall as he continues talking to whoever is on the phone. She's just about to just go back to the theater and wait for him there, but then she heard him say her name.

She stopped immediately and listened intently.

"Yeah... look I know, but— she's not really my type."

Morgana's jaw goes slack as she glares at the back of his head.

"I mean she dresses okay. But— she's a little too high maintenance for me."

Morgana looks down at herself as her face reddens. _I am not high maintenance!_

"And she's a little clingy."

Her face turned red as her hands clenched into fists. She can't remember a single moment when she'd been clingy. She'd been the perfect example of sophisticated, elegant, kind, and polite. She'd laughed at his jokes, complimented his maroon socks, paid attention to his story about how he got the offer from Arthur's work company, and opened up to him about her own life. If she's completely honest with herself, it hurts. She finally finds a guy who she likes and is extremely attracted to, and then she finds out that he thinks she's clingy and too high maintenance?!

No. This is where she's calling it quits. She does not do something petty like punch him in his stupid handsome face, or break his phone, or throw a tantrum. Instead, she goes back to the movie and pretends that everything was okay.

When Merlin returns a few minutes after her, she does not look at him. She remains that way for the rest of the night, unbothered and cold. By the end of the double date, she was ready to climb into her bed, dressed in pajamas, with a whole tub of ice cream, watching a gore-y movie filled with fighting, blood, and flying male innards.

Merlin had tried to act like he liked her, which she'd almost applauded him for. The acting on his part was so good! She'd almost believed him when he said that he had had one of the best nights of his life. She'd almost leaned up and met him halfway when he'd looked like he was about to kiss her.

She hadn't done any of that. When he was standing in front of her, looking like the world's sexiest, idiotic asshole, she had forced a smile onto her face and shook his hand. "Thank you for tonight." She'd said hurriedly. "It was definitely eye-opening." And without another word, she'd turned, unlocked her door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut behind her.

She'd cried for an hour that night. She's kind of glad that she heard what he'd said on his phone. If she hadn't, she would've been several dates deep, probably completely in love with him, only to be dumped later on because he didn't like her at all to begin with.

...

"Tell me".

She shakes her head at him, eyes glaring and nostrils flaring in anger as she recalls that date night. "I'm not high maintenance." She tells him with a shaky voice.

He stares confusedly at her before asking, "You're angry at me because you're not high maintenance?"

She continues to glare at him. "I'm not clingy." She says, ignoring his question.

Merlin stares back at her, blinking several times as his grip on her wrist loosens. "You're not making any sense, Morgana."

She finally looks away, down at his fingers around her wrist. "That's what you thought of me that first night."

Merlin shakes his head at her. "What?"

Morgana inhales deeply and looks back up at him. "Our first and only date... that's what you said... and I heard you." She doesn't wait for him to remember as she pulls her hand out of his. He probably doesn't remember anyways. "I'm going to bed." She turns and quickly makes her way upstairs and into the bed. She's asleep almost as soon as her head hits the pillow.

Merlin spends half that night trying to make sense of Morgana's words. He remembers their first date. It was a double date that took place ten years ago and he remembers having a great time with her... that is, until the night came to an end and Morgana blew him off and slammed her door in his face. She didn't answer his calls or texts after that, and when he asked Arthur, the man didn't have a clue. He just informed him that Morgana recently changed her number.

It was clear to him then that he was not Morgana's type. He knows when he's being rejected, and it really hurt to know that she felt that way about him. It hurt and it made him promise himself that he would never be with someone like her. It was from that day that he decided that he will never be her friend. If she doesn't want all of him, she can have none of him. Deep down inside though, it still hurt him.

He sleeps on the couch that night, feeling too angry at Morgana and the memory of their failure of a first date. For the rest of the night, he wonders what she meant by what she said. She'd said that he called her high maintenance and clingy? He never said or thought such a thing about her! He'd really, genuinely liked her and wanted to continue seeing her, but she made it clear that she didn't feel the same way!

Frustrated and upset, Merlin forces his brain to close out the memories as he shuts his eyes and tries to get some sleep. He has to be at work early in the morning.

...

A/N: I'll update this fic soon! Hope you guys liked this chapter. I thought it would be nice to go back to the beginning and add in a bit of Gwen and Arthur to the mix. I'll try to add a little more of their past in the next chapter. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review.

-McDiggin'It


	5. Maybe Truce

Title: Maybe Love

...

Chapter Five: Maybe Truce

...

It's kind of awkward when he wakes up and has to go upstairs in their shared bedroom to take a shower and get ready for work. He says good morning, she mumbles something incoherently, and he quickly grabs his towel and locks himself inside the bathroom. He continues to wonder what she meant by what she said the night before.

Throughout the entire day, he tries to mentally retrace the events of that night ten years ago, but nothing comes to him about what Morgana had said. She'd said that he had called her high maintenance and clingy. He knows for a fact that he didn't think that about her when he first met her... and the way she said it made it seem like he was the one who rejected her instead of the other way around.

He remembers that night very well. That whole night was centered around her and not else mattered to him. He'd picked her up, complimented the way she looked, opened the car door for her, drove her to the restaurant, had a lovely meal with her and their friends, they had a great and easy-going conversation, and then they all went to the movies. Even while at the movies, they'd been in sync with each other. He'd been enthralled by her beauty and independence. He'd thought she was perfect... but then the movie ended, and he drove her home in silence.

Back then, he'd thought nothing of it. He'd thought everything was fine. But then when he dropped her off and walked her to her door, she'd been cold and closed off. She'd slammed the door in his face. And then she'd changed her number and that was that. He knew she rejected him.

Maybe it was the way I ate popcorn? Or maybe it was my cologne... maybe she didn't like the way I looked?... He'd wondered for a full month before he finally gave up and moved on. It was clear that nothing was going to come from their double date. And when Arthur had asked him what he'd thought of her, he'd shrugged and lied, saying something along the lines of, "She's not really my type."

For every time he'd seen her after their first and last date, he'd avoided making eye contact with her. She gave him the cold shoulder, acting as if he'd been the one to reject her. It pissed him off. And so, he decided to treat her the way she treated him. Coldly.

After two months of being in the same circle, Morgana finally spoke to him... or more accurately, at him. It was when he brought a date to Gwen's birthday party. He was minding his business, wishing Gwen a happy birthday and introducing his then-girlfriend, Mithian. Morgana was in a corner, talking to some other guy he didn't know. He was just about to tell Gwen about how he and Mithian met, when Morgana suddenly popped up and practically insulted him and his date.

"Oh don't bother listening to him." Morgana had said venomously. Her head was turned towards Gwen, but her eyes were glaring darkly at him. "He apparently can't stand high-maintenance girls for long." Before either he or Mithian could protest, Morgana had already dragged Gwen away from them.

Merlin sighs as he leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. "High maintenance." He mutters under his breath. What did she mean? High maintenance? He never thought that about her... at least not until she began acting like he was a piece of chewed-up gum stuck under her shoe.

It was then that they began this toxic battle. She would bring a guy to a party or gathering or dinner, and he would call her a slut. He would bring a girl, and she would call him a manwhore. He would say something, she would roll her eyes and insult him. She would say something, and he would glare and call her names.

Over the years, they'd gotten creative. They started prank wars, getting really brutal and petty with it. He remembers a camping trip that they took one weekend about 6 or 7 years ago. He'd snuck up to Morgana's tent and poured a jar full of harmless spiders in there. He then waited a few feet away behind a bush and pressed record on his camcorder. It didn't take long before he heard a high-pitched scream coming from Morgana's tent. There was a moment where he watched her tent begin to violently shake, and then the zipper had practically been torn apart and Morgana came stumbling out in only her underwear and brassiere. Despite the sight of her in her undergarments, he couldn't help the laugh of joy and sweet revenge he let out as she started hopping up and down while simultaneously trying to swipe off spiders from her body.

When she finally figured out that he had been the one to put the spiders in her tent, she called him an asshole and threw an entire log at his head, which he luckily averted by diving out of the way.

She'd gotten her revenge too when she snuck into the guys showers at the gym he works out at, and stole his whole gym bag and towel from his locker while he was in the shower. Needless to say, he had been banned from that gym when he had to walk (run) out completely naked. He found her smirking at him from the parking lot across the street, where she dropped his gym bag onto the road, flipped him off, and then drove away cackling. His clothes and towel were torn to shreds though, and he had to drive home in the nude. Leather on your bare ass is not the most comfortable.

They continued the same way for years. He would make her life hell, and she would make him absolutely miserable. It got so bad, Gwen and Arthur started calling them out on it. But they were relentless. It wasn't until Gwen and Arthur got married that they silently agreed to at least stop with the pranks.

The pranks stopped, but the name calling and insults continued. The memory of their failed first date faded to the back of their minds, but their hatred for each other remained intact at the forefront.

"Jesus Christ." Merlin shakes his head and leans forward on his elbows. "Have we really hated each other for ten years?" Before he could continue with his thoughts, his phone suddenly rings, pulling him out of memory lane.

He stares at the name, Evil Witch flashing across his screen before he finally answers.

"Hello?"

"Grab some eggs on your way home." Came Morgana's cold reply.

He rolls his eyes. "Why?"

She makes an annoyed sound. "Because we don't have eggs."

Merlin huffs and shakes his head. "Fine. Anything else?"

"And some milk and frosting... we're baking cupcakes tonight."

He wanted to protest. He really did. But after the way things went down last night, he really didn't want to have another fight with her. He tells himself its for Iggy's sake. But it's also for theirs. "Okay." He replies. He doesn't ask why they're baking.

...

When he gets home with a bag full of eggs, milk, and frosting, he's attacked at the knees by the tiny, excitedly screeching toddler. He smiles widely as he stoops down and scoops her up in his free arm.

"Iggy!" He laughs as she buries her face into his chest and wraps her tiny, chubby arms around his neck. "I missed you." He says softly as he carries her and the groceries into the kitchen. He finds Morgana there, leaning over the counter with her tongue poking out to the side as she concentrates on measuring the sugar just right. She's wearing an apron with the words Kiss the Cook on it (Gwen's apron), her hair is up in a messy bun, and her cheek is stained with flour. In that moment, he really wanted to do as the apron suggested.

Merlin pauses for a second, watching her with a mixture of wonder and amazement. His chest tingles as he's suddenly aware of the fact that this is his family. He'd always imagined having this kind of life. A suburban home, a wife, a little girl or boy, and coming home to moments like this... but that's not what's happening here. He's not married to the beautiful woman mixing ingredients into a bowl. The child in his arms is not biologically his. This is not exactly the way he'd pictured his life... but they're his family anyway. They're all he has left.

He sighs as he sets the groceries down on the counter and kisses Iggy's cheek before setting her down to run around the house. He looks up to find Morgana staring at him with an odd expression on her face.

"What?" He asks curiously.

She shrugs and shakes her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "Nothing... did you bring the stuff?"

Merlin nods towards the bag of groceries he brought as he loosens his tie and rolls up his sleeves. "Why are we making cupcakes?"

Morgana looks at him as she goes to take the bag of groceries. "Tomorrow is Gwen's birthday."

Merlin freezes at that. He'd forgotten. And now he feels horrible. As if she read his mind, Morgana sighs and looks sadly at him.

"Don't feel bad... After everything that's happened, I don't blame you if you forgot. You've been— great— at handling Iggy and keeping everything from falling apart over the past few days. You're allowed to forget." She averts her gaze to the ground and shrugs. "I'll measure the rest of the ingredients while you set the oven to 375 degrees."

He nods wordlessly as he does as he's told. Once he's done, he goes back to watching her. He wants to ask her again why she thought he'd thought she was high maintenance and clingy, but he doesn't. It would probably start another fight, and that's the last thing he wants tonight.

Iggy wanders back into the kitchen, raising her arms up at him and saying one of the few words she can pronounce correctly. "Up."

Merlin smiles as he picks her up and kisses the top of her head. It's still odd. He'd watched her grow up to this point with Arthur and Gwen as her parents. He'd always been uncle Melon (she still couldn't quite pronounce his name correctly when she was finally able to say certain words), and Morgana had always been Aunty Gana... and now they're not just that. They're legally daddy and mommy to this little girl. It makes his heart both break for the loss of their friends, and swell with the joy of being a father.

Iggy plays with his face, squishing his cheeks together before pulling at them. He laughs as he forms a claw with one hand and proceeds to tickle her. She squeals with glee, throwing her blonde curls back in laughter. Merlin continues to play with her until he notices Morgana standing by the counter with a wide, almost loving smile on her face. She still has flour on her cheek, and Merlin suddenly forgets that they're supposed to be doing that thing where they keep their distance from each other.

Crossing the kitchen floor, he takes a napkin and raises it silently, wiping gently at the flour on Morgana's right cheek. He catches the slight blush that rises up her cheeks as he crushes the napkin in his palm and continues cleaning the rest of the flour off with the pad of his thumb.

"Thanks." She says softly, looking down between them.

Merlin smiles as he slowly drops his hand back down to his side. "You're welcome."

As he takes a step back, Morgana suddenly looks back up at him, then at Iggy, then back at him. "I'm— I'm sorry." She stammers. "What I said... I didn't mean to bring it all back up."

Merlin continues to stare at her. "I still don't know what you were talking about, but... it's okay. I'm sorry too for everything I've said that offended you."

Morgana smiles at that and shakes her head. "If you had to say sorry for every offensive thing you've ever said to me, you'd have to write it down in a book." She jokes softly.

Merlin chuckles. "Ditto."

Iggy looks at Merlin, then at Morgana, and then does that thing where she flexes her legs, wanting to get down. Merlin kisses her head once more, leans her over so Morgana can do the same, and then deposits the little girl back onto her feet. She immediately takes off towards the living room. Merlin sighs as he straightens and looks at Morgana hesitantly. "Truce?" He holds his hand out to her.

Morgana looks down at it for a moment, before placing her hand in his and shaking it. "Truce." She agrees, finally raising her head back up to smirk at him. "You're doing the dishes tonight."

...

They make a batch of 12 cupcakes, and then compete for prettiest cupcake decoration.

Merlin goes for the chocolate frosting, buttering the top of his cupcake before putting some green sprinkles (which he found on the top shelf of the spices cabinet) on it.

Morgana goes for the white frosting, separating some into 3 different bowls and adding some red, blue, and yellow food coloring. She then uses the piping bags and makes a rather impressive looking design on top with the different colors.

They put their separate cupcakes onto a plate and set it down on the table, before placing one candle on each and lighting it. Iggy is called into the kitchen, where they proceed to softly sing Happy Birthday for Gwen.

Afterwards, Iggy is given the chance to pick between the two cupcakes, which one she likes best. And of course, she picks Morgana's cupcake. Merlin laughs and complains that it's only because hers looks like a bloody rainbow with all the colors. Morgana only sticks her tongue out at him and does a victory dance, before picking up Merlin's discarded cupcake and taking a huge bite out of it.

Merlin's eyes widen, gasping dramatically as if Morgana had just eaten his most prized possession. Without a moments notice, he turns towards the open can of frosting, and scoops a large amount out of it by his fingers. He doesn't give her a warning as he turns abruptly, grabs her around the waist with his free arm, and then smears the white frosting down the front of her face.

Morgana squeals in shock and disbelief. As Merlin lets go of her, laughing and backing away, Morgana turns towards the open can of frosting and sticks her entire hand inside. She pretty much scrapes out nearly all of its remaining contents, before running towards Merlin with a vengeance.

He could've run, or used something to defend himself, but he was too busy laughing. Morgana practically launches herself onto him, smearing all the frosting into Merlin's hair, face, and neck. Merlin roars with laughter and mock anger as he suddenly has a mouthful of sugary frosting. Wrapping his arms around Morgana's waist, he pulls her towards him and ignores her cries of surrender as he wipes his face against the side of hers.

He wasn't really thinking. He doesn't notice when his mouth is suddenly rubbing against hers. He doesn't notice when Morgana suddenly freezes. He doesn't even notice that Morgana's legs have somehow managed to wrap around his hips. That is, until he realizes that she's just staring at him with an odd expression on her frosting covered face.

He stops laughing, now finding himself extremely nervous as he stares into her deep green eyes. She smells like a chocolate cupcake mixed with a hint of vanilla and a dash of strawberries. She looks beautiful with her face all calm and covered in white frosting. Her hair is wild, part of her bun coming undone and dangling down the back of her head. And her face is so close. Her lips are slightly parted as she stares right back at him.

It's warm... too warm. She thinks. Her mouth is dry, her fingers are tingling against his chest, and she's painfully aware of the position she's in, legs wrapped around Merlin's hips, his hands gripping her thighs and keeping her from sliding off of him, face so close she could smell his intoxicating cologne, and her eyelids suddenly feeling just a tad too heavy.

He's staring at her in a way that he had never done before, and it makes her heart race. He licks some of the frosting off his lips, drawing her attention to his mouth as he suddenly leans in slowly, and she couldn't control her own emotions. Her heart literally skips a beat, and she finds herself leaning in as well. God, the attraction is there. It's always been there. There's no denying it. She could practically already taste him, her lips are just beginning to brush against his frosting covered ones, her eyes are already closed and her heart is hammering in anticipation, and — "Mumma!"

Morgana's eyes snap open, seeing Merlin's doing the same, before they both turn their heads sharply towards the little girl in shock.

Her face burns as Merlin clears his throat loudly and sets her back onto her feet.

"Did she just—?"

"Mumma." Iggy grins widely up at Morgana and raises her hands towards her. "Up."

Morgana nearly melts through the floor as her heart expands inside her chest. She quickly grabs a napkin, wiping most of the frosting off her face before picking the little girl up and holding her close. "She called me Mama." She whispers joyfully, feeling her eyes begin to tear up. When she looks at Merlin, she finds him smiling widely at her.

"You're her mother now, so it's only fitting, don't you think?"

She nods towards him and smiles back. "I just— I didn't think she would call me that so soon... I haven't even told her to call me that."

Merlin nods as he moves towards them. "She's smart. Probably picked it up from her learning books."

Morgana nods as she looks down at the little girl again. "I wonder what else she learned."

Merlin grins. "Well, it's no rush, but I hope she learns to say dada soon."

Morgana snorts and looks back up at him. "She called me mama before she called you dada."

Merlin rolls his eyes playfully at her. "I'll get her to say 'dada' before the week is over."

"Good luck with that." Morgana grins. Her tone is playful, but she genuinely means it. Merlin, despite the fact that he still annoys her to no end, grates on her very last nerve, and is absolutely the most childish man on planet earth, is also a reliable person, great at fixing kitchen sinks, decent at cleaning, and very much a wonderful father to Iggy— even if it's only been a week. He deserves a win too.

They don't talk about their almost kiss as they clean up the mess they made. They don't acknowledge the fact that if Iggy hadn't been there, they probably would've ended up making out— and maybe even shagging— on the kitchen counter.

Morgana bathes Iggy as Merlin loads up the dishwasher and wipes down the countertops. When he's done, he turns off the lights and goes upstairs to watch from the doorway as Morgana puts Iggy in her onesie, before they both proceed to read her a bedtime story.

Iggy has become easier to put to sleep, now that she's slowly adjusting to having them around everyday. She's not as fussy about bedtime as the first three nights after they got her back from the social worker. Now, she's smiling, sucking her thumb, and giggling whenever Merlin pretends to be a dinosaur or whatever animal is featured in her bedtime story of the night.

Once Iggy falls asleep, Merlin and Morgana quietly make their way out and into their shared bedroom.

They continue to avoid talking about their almost-kiss, and they continue to pretend that they don't want to continue where they left off. They take turns in the shower, get ready for bed, and then turn out the lights as they slide into the bed and try not to think of what almost happened in the kitchen.

...

When she wakes up the next day, Merlin's side of the bed is already empty and cool to the touch. It's his day off, so she knows that he's probably already downstairs, getting started on breakfast. She takes a quick shower, brushes her teeth, flosses, and then puts on sweatpants and an old T-shirt she found in Gwen's dresser. She checks Iggy's room, finding it empty before making her way downstairs.

She smiles to herself at the smell of pancakes and the sound of Eye of the Tiger playing from Merlin's iHome. She enters the kitchen just as Merlin's awful singing voice fills her ears. She stops, stifling a laugh at the sight of him rocking his hips to the beat of the song as he sings into the spatula in his hand. He's shirtless, wearing only his dark grey joggers. His hair is tousled and slightly wet from his morning shower, and he's singing to Iggy, sitting in her highchair with a bowl of fresh fruits.

Merlin's audience of one was just as happy watching him, as he is singing to her.

She doesn't think she's ever seen anything sexier than him (in that exact moment) in her entire life. He then does a dramatic spin, claps his hand over his head, and then keeps them there as he rocks his hips again to the chorus of the song. She has to admit. The man has a very nice ass.

No longer able to hold her laughter in, Morgana let's it out as she steps into the kitchen and smirks at Merlin's reddening face.

"I'm pretty sure you've just scarred me and Iggy for life, but I'm okay with it because now I can lord this over you for the rest of our lives." She comments cheekily.

Merlin laughs and rolls his eyes at her. "Good morning to you too."

She smiles as she walks over to Iggy and kisses the top of her head. "Good morning, Sweety."

"Mumma!" Iggy squeals excitedly.

Morgana smirks at Merlin when he makes a face.

"She'll call me 'dada' soon." He says confidently.

Morgana laughs at him. "What's on the agenda for today?" She asks as he pours her a cup of black coffee, just the way she likes it.

Merlin shrugs at her. "I thought we could go to the playground down the street for a little while so Iggy can play, and then come back for lunch, get ready, and go out to the movies or something."

Morgana smiles at him. A genuine, pleased smile. "Did you plan for today?"

He shrugs again. "It's not much of a plan at all." He replies as he hands her her cup of coffee.

She looks down at her coffee, hiding her smile. When she looks back up at him, she couldn't help the way her eyes trail down over the expanse of his chest. He's slim, but it's obvious that he still works out. His abdominal muscles are surprisingly chiseled, and the bottom of his torso forms that delicious "V" that disappears into the elastic waistband of his joggers. She swallows hard, licks her lips, tears her eyes away, and takes an unnecessarily long sip from her cup of coffee.

When she's done, she nods her head towards him, though her eyes dart around the kitchen in order to avoid staring at his naked upper body again. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Is that my shirt?"

Morgana looks up at his face and frowns. "What?" He's looking at her chest, which prompts her to look down. Realizing that she's wearing a shirt that isn't hers, she looks up and blinks at Merlin.

"That's my shirt." Merlin says with a raised eyebrow.

"What— no, this is Gwen's."

Merlin snorts. "You really think Gwen spent money on a shirt that says 'Beer Me'?"

Morgana looks down at the shirt again, then furrows her eyebrows and looks up at Merlin. "I thought Arthur gave it to her. She used to wear it to sleep all the time!"

Merlin laughs at that. "It's a comfortable shirt."

Morgana narrows her eyes at Merlin. "So this is your shirt?"

Merlin nods. "Yup."

"Then why did Gwen have it?"

He shrugs, "She spent the night at my flat once."

Morgana nearly spits out her coffee. "What?!"

Merlin laughs hysterically at that. He shakes his head at her and gives Iggy an apologetic look for slightly startling her. "Sorry, let me elaborate." He folds his arms across his chest and continues. "It was the night when she and Arthur got drunk at my flat party and Arthur broke his arm. I had to drive Arthur to the hospital to get a cast on and I told Gwen to use whatever she needed from my flat. She stayed behind because she was too drunk to even stand." He smiles at the memory. "When Arthur and I returned, she was passed out on my couch with that shirt on, and when she woke up the next day, she deemed it her new pajama top because somehow she didn't feel hungover that day and she said it was because of the shirt."

Morgana laughs finally, shaking her head and wondering how she had never asked Gwen about the shirt. She always just assumed that it was Arthur's. "Well..." she looks down at the shirt and smiles as she runs her fingers over the words. "It's my shirt now."

Merlin grins widely and nods. "Breakfast?"

Morgana finally notices the spread of eggs, bacon, biscuits, and gravy on the table, prompting her to smile. "You know what?"

"What?" Merlin asks curiously.

"I think I might actually not hate you today."

Merlin snorts, shaking his head at her as he gets her a plate and hands it to her. "I was thinking..." he says slowly.

Morgana looks up at him as she takes her plate and sits down across from him.

"... maybe we can go with Iggy this weekend to take Gwen and Arthur's ashes up to their hiking trail...".

It's another kick to the gut. A wake up call... this, everything that's happening right at this moment, the beauty of their weird-somewhat-awkward (and slightly heartwarming) relationship, is happening because their best friends died. It makes her feel guilty about smiling and actually slightly enjoying Merlin's company. It makes her feel bad about living in their house, taking care of their daughter, and stealing Gwen's title of 'Mumma'. It makes her want to cry. She looks down at her plate again, avoiding Merlin's eyes as she nods slowly. "Yeah, sure... that's fine."

"We don't have to do it this weekend, you know?" Merlin asks softly, noticing that she's avoiding looking at him. "It was just a suggestion—".

"No," Morgana shakes her head and raises her slightly teary eyes to look at him. "... you're right... we can't hold off on this any longer. We have to move on and we can't do that if we keep holding on to them."

Merlin nods as he sits across from her with a bowl of oatmeal. "I already fed Iggy, so you can just have your breakfast."

She thanks him as she eats, realizing quickly that he really is trying. She's not sure how she feels about it though. On one hand, it would mean he's being nice. On the other hand, she doesn't know what that means coming from him. Is he trying to hint that he likes her? Is he trying to get her to like him back? Is he toying with her? Or maybe he's just trying to be a good dad and co-parent? She doesn't know, and it's eating away at her.

...

After taking Iggy to the playground and having their small picnic together, the family of three make their way back home, where they proceed to co-bathe Iggy... and today is just one of those days when Iggy has too much energy.

Bathing her turns into nearly a half hour of splashing bubbles and water everywhere. However, after her bath, she immediately falls asleep from exhaustion. After putting her down, they go back into the bathroom to clean up.

In the middle of mopping up the water, Merlin suddenly gets a handful of bubbles thrown in his face by a laughing Morgana.

Merlin's eyes slowly widen as he turns to mock-glare at her. "Did you just throw bubbles in my face?" He asks in a dramatically fake tone.

Morgana giggles as she slowly backs away from him. Before she could even take a third step back, Merlin suddenly lunges towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, picking her up effortlessly, and then depositing her abruptly into the still half-full tub of water.

Morgana gasps in shock, coughing and spluttering for a moment. "Merlin!" She shouts, though she couldn't quite keep a straight face.

He laughs as he sticks his tongue out at her. "You started it."

Glaring wickedly at him, she shoots straight to her feet, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, and forcefully pulling him into the tub with her.

Merlin laughs heartily as he falls, taking her down with him, and then getting a face full of Morgana's chest as she wraps her arms around his head and proceeds to try and dunk his head underwater.

In the heat of the moment, Merlin does something he instantly regrets a moment later. In hindsight, he thinks it's entirely her fault for forcing his face against her breasts. He lightly bites her left boob.

Morgana freezes, eyes going wide as she pulls away to stare at him in disbelief. He stares right back, suddenly too tired of resisting his attraction to her to care.

It's a battle of eyes, staring into each other's souls. A battle of blues and greens, swirling with a mixture of lust and resistance. A battle of wills. Will they or won't they?

Merlin shakes his head, wondering why they're acting like a bunch of teenagers. He throws caution to the wind as he surges up and forward, crushing his lips against hers. She can stop him anytime... except, she doesn't. The moment his lips touch hers, her arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer as she kisses him back furiously.

It's not soft or sweet. It's hot, heavy, passionate, and fast.

Morgana lets out a high pitched moan as their tongues meet roughly. She gasps when Merlin pulls her roughly against him. The water in the bathtub sloshes and splashed as the heat of their make out session runs higher and higher.

Her arms loosen from around his neck so that her hands could freely roam his chest, traveling lower and lower until they're resting against his lower belly. Their kiss evolves quickly into a full blown mouth fuck, each of them practically trying to devour each other as if they'd been starved for several days.

Morgana boldly lets her left hand travel lower, her excitement bursting as her hand finally comes into contact with Merlin's hard, clothed member. She squeezes him, pulling a low moan from Merlin as he thrusts his hips against her hand. And just as she's about to slip her hand under the elastic band of his sweatpants, Merlin leans back a little too hard, accidentally nudging the shower handle with his head.

The freezing cold spray of water pelts the both of them, not only pulling them both out of their very hot and steamy sexual distraction, but also throwing them back into reality.

The reality that they shouldn't be doing this. They shouldn't be complicating their arrangement by fucking each other's brains out in the bathtub of all places. They shouldn't be doing anything more than raising Iggy and making sure that they never have a reason to walk out on their little girl's life. Sex can only lead to complications, and that's the last thing they need right now.

So as they quickly climb out of the bathtub and turn off the shower, they avoid each other's gazes as they quietly grab towels from the towel rack in the corner of the bathroom, drying themselves off and making unnecessary sounds to avoid having to talk about what just happened.

Merlin leaves the bathroom first, mumbling something incoherently as he stares at the towel in his hands. Morgana inhales shakily, closing her eyes as she sits down on the edge of the tub and presses a hand over her eyes.

"Fuck." She whispers to herself. She shakes her head, trying to clear her jumbled thoughts. There are so many emotions bubbling inside her, and she can't begin to come to terms with any of them. How they're going to make it through a whole movie tonight, she doesn't know. All she knows, is that things just got a whole lot more complicated.

...

A/N: So, I know this was a super late update, but I'm hoping you'll all forgive me. I am still alive... I've just been super busy lately. More than usual. I'm writing all kinds of Mergana fics, which are literally just sitting in my computer, incomplete. Again, I'm sorry for the late update. But I promise I'll make it up to you all with a few Mergana one-shots I'm working on. Thanks for reading and please review! :)

-McDiggin'It


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